I Can't Believe I Love You
by PrincessNala
Summary: She always believed Seto to be nothing but the arrogant CEO everyone thought him to be, but when her dark past catches up with her and a tragedy brings them closer, she realises that even the great Seto Kaiba has emotions. Rated M for later chapters
1. Human emotions?

**Cara: Heya everyone. Our second fanfic including an OC called Renami. **

**Chiyo: And if you don't like our character, don't read, coz she's in it.**

**Cara: Yep. Please Read and Review. We'd really appreciate it.**

**Chiyo: ok, disclaimer: We, PrincessNala, don't own any part of Yu-Gi-Oh! But the character Renami was formed from our own twisted minds. If we did own Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami and Yugi would've been lovers from the word go.**

**Cara: And there'd be no Tea Gardner at all, because we hate her.**

**Chiyo: Warnings: this first chapter contains language and a bit of background yaoi, but the later chapters will include scenes of rape and other sexual content. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…**

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Chapter 1:

When the bell went for morning break, I'd imagined that I would have walked calmly down the corridors with my friends, probably talking and laughing about something random, as usual, but, life is never what you expect, as I realised for the umpteenth time as I was carried, screaming, from my maths classroom, slung over my best friend Joey Wheeler's right shoulder like a sack of potatoes while he sprinted down the corridor, laughing like a loon, our other friends not far behind.

"Joey! Put me down! I'm warning you! Let me go!" I screeched, pounding at him ineffectively with my fists and thrashing my legs, but as irritated as I was, I couldn't stop myself laughing along with him.

"Be careful, Joey!" Another one of my friends called anxiously. I smiled. Sweet little Yugi Mutou made up for his lack of height with his abnormally big heart. He cared about anything and everything, including, at that very moment, the safety of the seventeen-year-old girl over a seventeen-year-old boy's shoulder, dangerously close to flashing her knickers to the world as her skirt rode up practically to her waist.

"Joey! My skirt's riding up! Put me down! Please!" I begged, reaching around with one hand, desperately trying to hold down my skirt to avoid giving a show. _Dammit! Curse Domino High and its stupid uniform policy! _I usually wondered why most of the other girls liked to wear thick tights under their skirts, and now I wished I had thought to put some on this morning, but obviously, I hadn't. Well, it's not like I _knew_ this was going to happen, did I?

My friends, all being guys, began to laugh at my attempts to keep myself decent. Christ, I could really do with some female friends…

I was brought back to earth with a bump when Joey started down the concrete steps that led to the school grounds. I shrieked louder and clung to him, holding on for dear life. He chuckled and jumped the last few steps, just to piss me off, which it did.

"Joey Wheeler! I swear I'm gonna castrate you in a minute!" I warned. Joey just cackled some more and then shouted as loud as he could.

"Who wants to slap Renami's ass? This is the only chance you'll ever get! C'mon!"

I instantly doubled my attempts to get away.

"Joey! You asshole!"

Suddenly, someone gave my ass a sharp slap and I hissed a little at the sting. I turned my head as far as I could and I saw Yami Atemu, another close friend, stood behind me, grinning mischievously. I opened my mouth to say something when I felt two more slaps on my ass, this time caused by the hands of Marik and Bakura. Yugi, Ryou and Malik stood a little away, giggling as the three ass-slappers high-fived each other.

"I hate you all." I said, "Now, put me dow – oof!" Joey let go of me and I fell to the grass, rubbing my bruised rear.

"Oww…"

The others laughed and sat themselves down around me, and I took this opportunity to grab Joey in one of my trademark headlocks and didn't let him go until he begged for forgiveness. Letting go of him, I lay back in the grass, plucking a daisy from beside me and twirling it in my fingers.

"Bakura… not here…" I heard Ryou mutter and I looked up to see Bakura pout and move his arms away from the front of Ryou's jeans. Whereas, at the other side of me, Marik was having no such problems with Malik, and was making out with him so fiercely it looked like they were glued together by the mouth. A little further away, Yami was chilling in the sun and talking about random boy stuff (cars probably) with Joey, whilst Yugi watched him adoringly. I shook my head. Poor guy, he's really got it bad for Yami, but he's just too painfully shy to tell him how he feels. I pushed myself up onto my elbows.

"You ok, Yug?" I asked. Yugi jumped and quickly tore his gaze from Yami's back.

"Um… yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He replied, blushing slightly. I moved a little closer to him so none of the others could overhear our conversation.

"You still haven't told him yet, have you?"

Yugi blushed a bit more and shook his head sadly.

"I… I can't. I'm just scared of being…"

"Rejected?"

"Yeah. That." He looked so sad I just had to put my arms around him and give him a big hug.

"Don't worry, Yugi. Tell him when you feel the time's right. And if he rejects you, I could always talk some sense into him for you." I said comfortingly. He smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, Renami."

"Hey, what're friends for?"

Our little heart-to-heart chat was interrupted by some pretty sickening noises coming from Ryou and Bakura, who'd obviously decided against waiting and were now shirtless and kissing in the grass. I just prayed on all that is sacred that they didn't go too far and mentally scar me for the rest of my life. Joey and Yami were watching them with mild interest, and Yugi was, yet again, blushing. (Probably because he wouldn't mind being in that oh-so-intimate position himself with a certain Yami Atemu round about now...)

"Oh, please," I groaned, turning my back on them only to get an eyeful of Marik and Malik doing the exact same thing, "Can't you guys wait until _after_ school to feel each other up and snog each others faces off? Jeez, you're embarrassing us."

Marik's eyes flicked to me and pushed his hand down the back of Malik's trousers, smirking slightly. I rolled my eyes and turned away. I looked around the school grounds at all the other students unfortunate enough to be forced to go here and saw that a fair few were glancing at the snogging blokes. A couple were ogling like they'd never seen a gay before. Hello, it's the twenty-first century! Everyone's seen a gay at some point in their lives, I mean, I see them all the time hanging around outside the railway station. Trust me, they're everywhere.

"Hey, Renami. You coming to the movies tomorrow with us?" Yami asked. I turned back to my gang and shrugged.

"Sure, why not. What're we gonna see?"

"Dunno yet, probably something with lots of guns, car chases and sex scenes." He replied, running a hand through his spiky purple hair in a way that made all the girls drool. I laughed.

"It won't really matter what we go to see anyway, because Ryou, Bakura, Malik and Marik will be fucking each other on the back row, and we'll be throwing popcorn and Malteasers at those at the front, or doing hand puppets in front of the projector like we always do." I said. Yami, Joey and Yugi grinned.

"Good point."

Joey yawned widely and checked his watch.

"It's nearly the end of break." He announced, scratching his blond hair in irritation.

"Is it P.E next?" I asked. Yugi nodded and stood up. I followed him and pulled Joey to his feet as Yugi shyly extended a hand to Yami, who took it and pulled himself up. I smiled to myself. Yugi looked so happy it was unbelievable. I don't think he's going to wash that hand ever again. Joey kicked Marik and I nudged Bakura with the toe of my shoe. Both looked a little pissed off about being disturbed, but grudgingly got to their feet with their lovers as the bell rang, hastily pulling their shirts back on. Is it just me, or are school breaks getting shorter? No way that was fifteen minutes…

Everyone began to make their way to their next lessons, and our gang followed suit, joining the large crowds of students.

"Renami!" someone called as we went with the flow through the double doors that led to the P.E block, and I spun around to find whoever had shouted me when, being the clumsy girl that I am, I collided with someone and we both fell over, me landing on top of them and clonking my elbow on the floor in the process. It was a good job my gang and me were some of the last people to come in, or else me and the dude I'd just flattened would have been trampled into the floor tiles by our classmates. I groaned and lifted my head up so I could see who I had landed on.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry –" I began and then my apologies died away in my throat as I found myself looking down at the handsome face and icy cerulean glare of the KaibaCorp CEO, Seto Kaiba himself! _Oh shit!_

I quickly scrambled to my feet and he stood up too, brushing away some dust from his jacket.

"Watch where you're going, Safiya." He said in that obnoxious pompous voice of his.

"Why don't _you_ watch where you're going, Kaiba!" Joey said, springing to my defence. I could tell Joey was loving this. He loved any chance he got to row and/or fight with Kaiba. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Joey.

"Who said you could talk to me, Mutt?" he said, knowing (from past experiences) the exact way to piss Joey off. Joey's face turned red as he curled his hands into fists and took a threatening step forwards, only for Yugi to dash between him and Kaiba and push Joey back.

"Joey, don't! He's not worth it!" he cried.

"Yeah, and you can't afford to get another detention, Joey." Marik said, placing a hand on Joey's shoulder. Joey growled angrily but soon saw sense and let his fists fall back to his sides. I turned back to face Kaiba and he smirked and folded his arms.

"I'm sorry I walked into you, Kaiba." I said, trying to make it sound like I was giving him a really heartfelt apology, when in actual fact I was pretty glad I knocked him down. If there's anyone who deserves to be pushed in the dirt, it's Kaiba. I don't know what it is about him, it's just that annoying way he talks and the way he looks down his nose at people like he thinks they're unimportant. He really makes my blood boil…

"You should be." Kaiba said and treated me to one of his infuriating trademark sneers and walked away into the P.E changing rooms, his jacket flying out behind him like a pair of wings or something.

"Asshole…" Joey grumbled (among other things). I smiled and rubbed my elbow.

"You ok?" Yami asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, just banged my elbow. It'll be fine. I'll see you guys in the gym in a few minutes, ok?" They nodded in return and went in the changing rooms after Kaiba, and I strode into the female changing rooms to change into my gym kit. You know, the more I thought about it, the more I began to realise something. When I'd turned back to Kaiba after Yugi restrained Joey from punching his lights out, Kaiba had had a strange look in his eye that'd I'd never seen before... it was almost … forlorn…

Oh my God! Could it be that Seto Kaiba might actually have some human emotions? What is this world coming to…

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**Cara: Jeez, for the first chapter this is mighty long!**

**Chiyo: Yeah, and there isn't much info about this Renami person for those who haven't read our first fanfic.**

**Cara: Oh … I'll reveal a little more about her in the next chapter. Promise!**

**Chiyo: Uh huh. Alright, coz I'm feeling nice…**

**Cara: (cough)**

**Chiyo: … I'm gonna give you a little preview of what's to come in chappie 2:**

_"What're you waiting for, Kaiba?" I asked, bouncing the ball with my right hand and then my left. "Have you given up already?"_

_"You wish." He retorted, and then his smirk returned. "How about we make this game a little more interesting?"_

_"Huh? What do you mean?"_

_"Let's raise the stakes a little..."_

**Cara: Please Read & Review!**


	2. Can't Touch This

**Cara: Heya again! Sorry it took so long to update, but my computer went BOOM on me and deleted everything, so I had to start from scratch. Here's the long awaited chappie 2!!**

**Chiyo: Which is ten times crapper than the first chapter.**

**Cara: Is crapper even a word?**

**Chiyo: Yes.**

**Cara: Are you sure?**

**Chiyo: It is a word, because I said it is.**

**Cara: uh… ok… but that still doesn't – **

**Chiyo: Shut it! It's a word, full stop, end of story. Deal with it.**

**Cara: (sniff) fine… this chapter doesn't contain anything that amazing, just a fair few swear words. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2:

P.E. One of the most boring and pointless subjects ever to be practised at Domino High. I mean, who wants to run around in a dusty gym that reeks of sweaty feet and B.O for an hour in nothing but shorts and a T-shirt? Not me, that's for sure, but I had to lump it, and humiliate myself with everyone else in my hideous pale blue shorts and white shirt emblazoned with the Domino High logo.

Did I mention that P.E groups were mixed sex? Well, they are, and that's a damn good thing, cause I got to suffer with my boys, who were sulking on a bench in the corner of the gym, acting all emo-ish about having to degrade themselves by wearing shorts, so I managed. Barely.

We were split into four teams for a delightful game of basketball, so two teams had to sit out and watch the other two teams kill each other on the court for twenty minutes before it was our turn. My guys were in my team, so I was all gravy, and practically pissed myself talking about the time when Joey and me had thought it was a good idea to shave Bakura's eyebrows off when he had accidentally fallen asleep in front of us. (It was hilarious at the time, and Bakura was, to put it mildly, pretty pissed off when he woke up and found himself eyebrow-less. He hadn't come to school for the next few weeks after until his eyebrows grew back!)

Soon though, the sexual tension proved to be too overpowering, and Bakura and Ryou pounced on each other and started a game of tonsil tennis, as did Marik and Malik. Yami, Yugi and Joey began a discussion about some porno video Yami had, and that Joey was itching to borrow, judging by the way he was salivating when Yami told him of every disgusting scene in extremely painful detail. It was torture for me, so I scanned the opposite bench absently, my eyes passing over bimbos adjusting their already perfect hair and talking about lipo and the latest designer handbag in their collection, chavs looking all hard and gangsta, like, emos looking … well, emo, and finally my gaze came to rest on Seto Kaiba, who was leant back against the wall, his legs crossed, arms folded, looking less than impressed that he was in clothes that didn't have his initials embroidered on them, like everything else he wears.

For some weird reason, my eyes automatically looked him over, taking in everything about the insufferable CEO. His sapphire gaze suddenly caught mine and he smirked, causing me to blush three shades of pink and I quickly turned away, feeling my burning cheeks with my hand.

Why was I blushing? There was nothing to blush about! Unless…

"Game over! Swap over teams! Ryou, Bakura, Marik and Malik! Take your tongues from each others' mouths and _get your backsides on the court_!"

Laughing, we got to our feet and spread out on the court, facing the opposing team. Yami, Bakura, Marik and Joey grinned, knowing they were out to win. I've noticed that's the thing with those guys: they have to win. Not want to win, HAVE to win. If they don't, well, all Hell breaks loose, basically…

"Ready teams?" Our teacher asked. We nodded and the whistle sounded, signalling the start of the game. I, being the butt-kicking combination of both small and fast, dove right in there and grabbed that ball, and streaked off before the other team could blink.

"Go, Renami!" Joey yelled in encouragement as everyone came to their senses and pounded after me like a herd of rhinos.

Ten minutes in, our team was winning, and I'd actually lightened up and started to enjoy myself a little, but then some twat-bag chav had to go and fuck it up, didn't he? Oh yes. He threw the ball, it sailed through the air and connected with poor Ryou's face, sending the whitenette crashing to the floor, blood streaming from his nose. And the fucking chav laughed. Seriously. _He fucking laughed_. Bastard.

"Ryou!" Bakura shouted and sprinted full-pelt to his fallen lover, elbowing those unfortunate enough to get in his way to the side.

"Owwwww…" Ryou moaned, his voice a bit thick due to his busted nose, tears welling up in his huge bambi eyes. Almost everyone was gathered around him, with the teacher yelling for someone to go fetch Matron.

"Ryou, are you ok?" Joey asked. Malik rolled his eyes.

"Does he fucking _look_ ok, Joey?"

"I bet he's seen better days…"

"Oh, shut up."

I turned back to face the chav, and I noticed it was Tristan Taylor, one of the biggest assholes ever to be put on earth. He was high-fiving one of his cronies, with a huge grin on his face, almost as if he…

Wait. Did he do that on _purpose_? No, he couldn't have…

Yes. Yes he did. Why that little…

Before I knew what I was doing, I marched up to him.

"What was that for?" I demanded angrily. He looked at me, a smirk on his face.

"What was what for? I didn't do nothing. It was an accident."

Yeah, right. And the fact that he was grinning like a psycho _really_ convinced me…

"Accident, my ass!" I hissed, "You did that on purpose!"

Tristan snorted with laughter and swapped amused looks with his fellow chavs.

"Oh, yeah? So what if I did? What're you gonna do about it? You're just a stupid little girl with an attitude problem. Now, back off and go cry with your pathetic gay-boy friend."

A stupid little girl with an attitude problem? Pathetic gay-boy friend? Oh, he was really starting to piss me off. Big time.

I looked back over my shoulder, and I saw Bakura helping Ryou to his feet, wiping his lover's nose with his own sleeve, whispering comforting words in his ear. Ryou looked a little unsteady and pale, but otherwise he seemed to be okay.

"Next time I'll hit him harder." Tristan muttered under his breath. "Stupid little fucktard." Well. That was it. I spun around, grabbed his shoulders and brought my knee up as hard as I could into a certain tender area, making him scream in pain and drop to the gym floor, clutching his pride in both hands. I hope he didn't have any ideas about having kids soon, cause he'd be lucky he could walk, never mind, y'know, baby-make.

Well, they do say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Next time I'll fucking hit _you_ harder, bastard." I spat. Tristan merely groaned louder and rolled over onto his back, still in complete agony. Ok, I know I got him a _little_ harder than was necessary, but did he really have to make such a big fuss about it? Sheesh. All mouth and no balls. Well, not now, anyway.

"Tristan? What's wrong?" our teacher said, turning around to see the crippled chav on the floor. I was just really lucky she hadn't turned around a few seconds earlier, or she would've seen me bruise Tristan's ego, (if you know what I mean,) and my ass would've been hauled off straight to detention.

"He just collapsed, Miss, I don't know why." I said innocently, stooping down to help him up and flashing a warning glare at the others, just in case they fancied a firm kick in the nuts too, but they kept their traps shut, obviously valuing their manhood in too high a regard. Tristan was in too much pain to say anything, even if he wanted to, and stayed doubled over when he heaved back to his feet.

"Jake, Zak, I think you better take Tristan up to Matron." Teacher said, and the two chav cronies grabbed an arm each and headed off back through the changing rooms, Tristan finding enough energy (or courage) to lift his head up and glare at me. I smiled and waved sweetly as they left the gym, muttering angrily.

"Ryou, are you okay?" Our teacher asked, turning back to Ryou.

"I f-feel a little dizzy…"

"Do you want to go to Matron too?"

"N-no, I'll stay here. I'll be fine in a minute…"

"Ok. You better sit this game out."

"O-ok."

Teacher turned back to the rest of us, her whistle in her hand.

"Back to your positions, kids. The game's not over yet."

Grudgingly, we resumed the game, picking up where we left off. I caught the ball and passed to Yami, and set off running when Joey appeared beside me.

"So," he said, panting slightly as we ran, "Tristan just collapsed, did he?"

I smirked. "You would've too, if you'd just got my knee rammed between your legs like he did."

Joey winced, imagining.

"Ouch. I take it he was the one who hit Ryou, then?"

"Bingo."

"And I guess he's learnt his lesson?"

"If he hasn't, I could always go over it again. I wouldn't mind." I grinned. We both laughed and split up, weaving around people in case there was a chance to swipe the ball from them.

Five minutes later, our team won 10-6, thanks to some rather impressive baskets scored by Marik, and we burst into our usual victory chant of Mc Hammer's _Can't Touch This_. Don't ask me why, but since we sing it after every successful game or whatever, it's kinda become our official cheer. Not that I'm complaining. I taught them the dance to go with it!

"_Can't touch this._

_Can't touch this._

_Can't touch this._

_Break it down!_

_(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)_

_(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)_

_Stop! Hammer time!"_

It's so comical, it's unbelievable. Trust me, I would seriously pay to watch it. Even teacher had trouble hiding a smile.

"Ok, cut it out, you lot. No need to get cocky." She said, checking her watch, "Right, we've got about five minutes left before the end. How about a game of one on one?"

We all groaned aloud and moved, doing our best to hide ourselves from view, lest we be chosen for the accursed final game.

"Ah, Renami. You can come up."

Shit. I knew she'd choose me. She always does. She secretly hates me, I'm sure. Muttering all the swearwords under the sun, I moved to the centre of the court. I had to do it, cause if I refused, she'd make me flunk P.E for sure. Dammit.

"Good. Now, who're you going to face? Um…"

I folded my arms and started tapping my foot on the floor. God, next time I'll just make a break for the changing rooms before she has the chance to say my name.

"Ah! How about Seto Kaiba?"

WHAT?!

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**Cara: Y'know, looking back to last chapter, your little 'insight' isn't even on here, Chiyo.**

**Chiyo: Yeah, coz you made this chapter way too damn long to fit it in!**

**Cara: Oopsie! Sorry! It'll happen in Chappie 3, I PROMISE!**

**Chiyo: You said that last time.**

**Cara: Yeah, but this time I really mean it! I'm sorry if this chapter's a bit of a disappointment, cause my imagination and inspiration have vanished. But it'll pick up soon, I promise.**

**Chiyo: That's another promise on the list…**

**Cara: Please review please!**


	3. One on one: Raising the Stakes

**Chiyo: Hey, you lot. Sorry, you'll have to talk to me, coz my hikari's busy typing up chapter four like a mad woman on the other computer. Oi! How far have you got? **

**Cara: Shut up! I need my concentration! I need my space, people!!**

**Chiyo: Better leave her, she might get nasty. Anyways, here's chapter three. We don't own YuGiOh, never have and never will. This chapter contains swearing and a rape scene in a classroom.**

**Cara: It's not rape! The rape scene comes later! It's just harmless molesting! **

**Chiyo: Whatever. It's almost rape. Please read and review, my hikari'll cry if you don't.**

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Chapter 3:

The gym fell into complete and utter silence, and I was gawping at the teacher like she was on crack or something. She knew as well as anyone that Seto Kaiba, _the Seto Kaiba_, has never, ever taken part in any P.E lesson since he first started Domino High. He'd rather stand there, arms folded, watching everyone else with a bored expression on his face, like he had done throughout the entirety of the basketball game we'd just won.

Every eye turned to Kaiba, who had sat himself back down on the bench when all the shit with Ryou and Tristan had happened, and waited. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at the teacher, and I thought that he'd tell her where to stuff her little one on one game, so imagine my astonishment when his gaze fell upon me and a small smirk played at the corner of his lips, and he said the word I would've never expected to hear:

"Fine."

Well. Let's just say my jaw dropped so fast it nearly smashed through the gym floor. And I wasn't the only one. Everyone looked shocked, and even the teacher looked disbelieving, as though she hadn't imagined for one second that he would actually engage in some kind of educational physical activity. He stood and walked back onto the court, back towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. The others moved from the court and sat down on the benches around the sides, no-one making a sound. Geez, this was a pretty intense atmosphere, with him looking as cool as a cucumber and me wondering if he was OD-ing on some illegal substance.

"Ready to lose, Safiya?" He asked, catching the ball deftly as teacher threw it to him. Ooh… fighting talk. I snapped back to my senses and grinned.

"I never lose, Kaiba!"

"Nor do I."

"We'll see about that."

He twirled the ball in his hands and I gave him an almost Kaiba-like smirk. Hell, I could tell I was really gonna enjoy this. Kaiba won't know what hit him! Heh heh heh…

"Ready?" Teacher said, bringing her whistle to her lips. Kaiba and I both gave her a curt nod, not taking our eyes from each other. The whistle sounded and the game began. As quick as I could, I batted the ball from his hands and dodged past him, darting down the court to the basket. _This is almost too easy_, I thought as I took aim and… the ball vanished from my hands.

"What the-?"

I spun around and saw Seto dribbling the ball straight back where it started, heading to the opposite basket. The cheeky bastard!

"No you don't, Kaiba!" I cried and tore after him as fast as I could, catching up to him just as he was about to score, and I returned the favour by knocking the ball from his hands as he had done to me. Kaiba snorted, either in amusement or disgust, as I bounced the ball in front of him, teasing him.

"What're you waiting for, Kaiba?" I asked, bouncing the ball with my right hand and then my left. "Have you given up already?"

"You wish." He retorted, and then his smirk returned. "How about we make this game a little more interesting?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Let's raise the stakes a little. The winner receives a token of their choice from the loser, and the loser gets nothing."

"What token?" I asked, confused and yet devilishly intrigued at his proposition. He grinned wider.

"We'll decide that later. Deal?"

I mulled it over for a moment, still bouncing the ball from one hand to the other. I'm not boasting or anything, but I am damn good at P.E, despite how much I moan about how much I hate it, and I've never seen Kaiba play before, him being so against anything that makes him seem like everyone else, so I was fairly confident that I would wipe the floor with his ass. Maybe the ceiling and walls too, if I was feeling cruel enough.

"Deal."

As soon as the word left my mouth, Kaiba lunged forwards, reaching for the ball, but I'd guessed he'd try something like that, so I sort of spun sideways, evading his attempt to relieve me of my inevitable victory.

"Ha! Nice try, but tricks like that won't work with me, Kaiba!"

Kaiba ignored my banter and I turned my back on him as he reached for the ball again. He was now directly behind me, and I could feel the heat radiating from his body, his breathing on the back of my neck and he had a pleasant cinnamon scent I'd never noticed earlier, on account of never being this close to the CEO before. His arms swung around my waist, not to hold me, but to try and grab the ball from me.

I ducked out from between his flailing arms and ran around him, only to once again lose the ball to him. Damn.

"What's the matter, Safiya?" He taunted, now bouncing the ball as I had done earlier, from one hand to the other, his sapphire eyes boring into mine.

I suddenly realised that Kaiba, contrary to earlier speculation, didn't not join in P.E just because he was crap at it, but because he just didn't want to. Because he's good. Pretty good. Damn good. Fuck.

"One minute left!" Teacher shouted, bringing me back to earth. I had to win. I just had to! Looking into Kaiba's eyes, I could see that I wasn't going to like his 'token' from me if I lost. I will win!

I leapt forwards, surprising him with my sudden action, but he still managed to dodge and run past me to the basket. I staggered, regained my balance quickly and I sped after him.

_No, no, no, no…_

He got closer to the basket…

_No, no, no, no…_

I ran as fast as I could, but I already knew I wouldn't reach him in time to stop him scoring…

_No, no, no, no…_

He took aim briefly and let fly…

_No, no, no, no, NO!_

Yes. His aim was true and the ball flew through the air and breezed straight through the basket just as the school bell rang.

_SHIT!_

When the echoes of the bell vanished from the air, the gym stood in shocked silence. Everyone was gaping, as though they couldn't believe what just happened. Renami Safiya, unbeaten for so long in basketball, finally beaten in a game of one on one by Seto Kaiba in the first P.E lesson he'd ever taken part of. But I wasn't a sore loser, so I swallowed my disbelief and stuck my hand out to Kaiba.

"Congratulations, Kaiba. The best man won." I said. Kaiba looked at my hand but didn't shake it. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards into a smirk as he made eye contact with me again.

"I haven't won yet." He said softly, so no one else could hear him but me. Those four words made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up with dread. _What did he mean by that?_

He smirked wider and strode away from the court, through the door and into the changing rooms.

"Uh… Lesson's over, kids," Our teacher said, sounding as gob smacked as I felt. "Go get changed."

Everyone got up from the benches, talking in hushed voices and occasionally glancing in my direction. My guys looked at me, and I smiled back, to show I was ok with what just happened and they smiled too, if a little sympathetically, as I joined the crowds of girls leaving the gym to the female changing rooms.

What the hell did Kaiba mean by what he said? I wasn't sure, but the question I couldn't help asking myself was: _Did I really want to find out?_

* * *

"Well. That was certainly interesting." Was Marik's comment when we sat down in the canteen with our trays full of the usual inedible radioactive slop we were fed at Domino.

"I'll say. Who knew Kaiba was so good at basketball?" Malik agreed, sinking his teeth into a large greasy burger oozing blood red ketchup.

"He sure was." I said, swiping an apple from Joey's tray and taking a large bite.

"You're not bothered he beat you?" Bakura asked.

"Not really." I shrugged. I was more bothered about this 'token' I owed him. I didn't own much, and I knew for a fact he wouldn't want the tiny amount of money I possess, him being a billionaire already and the owner of a huge company, and all. The only things I own are my dog and my virginity, and there is absolutely NO WAY he's getting EITHER of them, that's for sure.

"You played well, Rennie." Ryou smiled, patting my hand sympathetically with his pale fingers. His nose was still red from earlier, but he was fine now, yet Bakura still insisted of keeping his lover close in his protective grip, just in case.

"Thanks Ry. I'm cool with it." I replied, smiling at him and taking another chunk out of my stolen apple, wiping away the juice from my chin as a few drops escaped my mouth.

"Hey, guys." A voice said from behind me, and Yami and Yugi plonked their trays down on the table with us after being unfortunate enough to have been two of the last people in the dinner queue.

"Hey." Came the general reply as they joined us in forcing down the crap the dinnerbags served on a regular basis.

"Have you heard about the new exchange student?" Yugi asked through a mouthful of pizza, his eyes wide with excitement, as they always were when he was about to spill some juicy gossip.

"What exchange student?"

"Well, me and Yami were stood in the queue behind Miss Jackson and Mrs Lewis, and they were talkingabout him. Mrs L said she'd already met him and she said he was one of the most good-looking boys she'd ever seen in her life!"

"Ewww! Mrs L's like forty years old! And married!"

"Hahahaha! She's a perv! Mrs L's a perv!"

"That's sick, Yug!"

Christ. These guys are so immature at times, it's unbelievable how I manage to put up with them.

"God, she only said he was decent looking, she didn't say he was good in bed or anything!" I retorted, and then realised just how bad a thing that was to say when we were eating, as I guessed by the way almost all eight of us very nearly threw up when we all got a horribly vivid image of Mrs L doing… hell, no, I'm not even gonna say what we imagined her doing.

"Renami! We're fucking _eating_ here!"

"Sorry, sorry!" I spluttered and we all burst out laughing. When we finally stopped, we set about eating the rest of our food in comfortable silence, but Yugi evidently couldn't drop the subject of the new student.

"I was just thinking, if this new guy's as gorgeous as Mrs L says, maybe we could, I dunno, have a little fun with him."

Yami swallowed his mouthful of egg mayo sandwich and turned his gaze on Yugi, his eyebrows raised and a smile on his face.

"Why, Yugi. Anyone would think you were a right dirty little whore with what you just said." Yugi pouted at him.

"How do you know I'm not?" he demanded. Yami chuckled lightly and took another bite of his sandwich.

"You're way too cute to be a whore." He shrugged. It was Yugi's turn to grin.

"You weren't saying that last night." He smirked impishly. The guys all laughed and applauded Yugi's lightning fast come-back, but I leant back in my chair, smiling broadly to myself. You'd have to be either stupid or blind to miss the obvious growing chemistry between Yami and Yugi, and seeing them so happy, all of them so happy, made my heart ache slightly. I could see another Happy Ending on the horizon, but mine was still non-existent. It'd probably stay that way, too. Not everyone lives happily ever after. _He_ taught me that… Maybe I was one of those people…

"You ok, Rennie?" Joey asked, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts. I smiled at him reassuringly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I finished my apple and stood up. My guys all looked up at me, questioningly. "I, uh, don't feel too well. I'm gonna go and get some fresh air, okay?"

"Yeah."

Taking a deep breath, I walked away from the table and tossed the apple core into a trashcan on the way past as I left the canteen through the large red double doors, my head swirling with painful past memories I'd long since tried to forget.

_"What makes you think anyone cares? Did you think everyone lives Happily Ever After? Like in fairytales? Hahahaha! You stupid pathetic little bitch! There's no such thing as a fucking Happy Ending! If there were, would you be here now? Would you be how you are? You, Renami, you are living proof that this fairytale shit doesn't happen in real life! The only Happy Ending you're gonna get is when you die! When you fucking die, bitch! Do you hear me? Everyone's gonna be happy when you're dead! So why don't you just die? Do us all a favour and die! JUST DIE!"_

Tears spilled from my eyes and down my cheeks as I shook my head, trying to get rid of the evil tones of that horribly familiar voice, that voice I never wanted to hear again. The corridor was deserted and quiet, due to everyone scoffing their faces in the dinner hall, so I leant against the wall and wiped away my tears, telling myself to get a grip, when suddenly something got a grip on _me_, and dragged me by the wrist into an empty classroom, slamming the door shut after us.

"Hey, what the – " I began and looked up at my assailant to see my own reflection in those unmistakeable twin pools of sapphire. I wrenched my hand from his grip.

"Kaiba! What do you want?" I demanded angrily. Seto merely smirked and moved closer to me, his face inches away from mine. I tried to step back, but the wall was in my way. _Shit!_

"Don't pretend you've forgotten our bet, Safiya." He said softly, his hand reaching towards me and toying with a few tendrils of my pale lavender hair that had come free from the loose plait I'd dragged it back into after P.E earlier, "I won, and now I've come to claim my prize."

"What do you want?" I repeated, getting a little freaked out about the space between us, or should I say, the _lack of_ space between us!

He chuckled and he trailed the back of his pale fingers down my cheek, and I shuddered at his icy touch. He moved his head even closer to mine.

"Why don't you take a guess?" he whispered, his warm breath dancing against my ear. I stiffened as his hand moved from my face, grazed down my side and snaked around my waist, pulling me even closer so I was flush against him, my hands on his chest.

"Kaiba, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" I hissed, trying my damn hardest to yank myself away from him, but he clung on like a goddamn limpet. Christ! He was too bloody strong!

"I've already told you, I'm taking my prize." He purred, and before I had chance to reply (or swear at him), his mouth came crashing down against mine with such speed and force that I would've fallen over backwards had he not been holding me up. I froze as he kissed me hungrily, not responding until he bit down hard on my bottom lip, causing me to gasp and his tongue entered my mouth roughly.

As he ravaged my mouth, I could see there was no way I would be able to throw him off me, so, mentally flipping the birdie at my protesting conscience, I started to kiss him back. I felt him smirk against my mouth and his hands now rested at the small of my back, dangerously close to my ass. For some reason, I was strangely ok with the kissing, but if he dared to cop a feel he'd find my knee between his legs, just as Tristan had. I'm not _that_ easy, thank you very much.

But Kaiba did taste very, _very_ nice… he tasted as delicious as he smelt… Cinnamon… _mmm_… Christ, is he actually gonna let me breathe any time soon?

Apparently not…

His hands started moving again, creeping slowly up the back of my school blouse, his cold fingers strangely relaxing. He caressed my skin gently, before accidentally grazing over a few unnatural gouges in my flesh. He suddenly stopped kissing me. _Oh God, no!_ I tensed up and my eyes shot open to find him looking at me, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He ran his fingers along the bumps again.

"Scars…" He muttered, "How did you get these scars?"

_Shit!_

"It's nothing to do with you, Kaiba!" I snarled, trying to pull away from him, the euphoria from the kiss vanishing quicker than I wanted it to, "Let go of me!"

"Not until you tell me how you got those scars!" He replied, grabbing me by the shoulders, his grip like steel.

"Accident. When I was younger. Now get off me!" I hissed, struggling against him, but he pushed me back against the wall, a little harder than was necessary, and blocked my escape with his body.

"Don't lie to me, Safiya. Tell me the truth!"

"I've already fucking told you the truth! And it's non of your fucking business!"

"Safiya…"

"Why do you even _care_? Oh, wait, I forgot. The great Seto Kaiba _can't_ care, can he? Not with that fucking permanent stick up his ass, he can't!" I spat, my anger getting the better of me. Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

"You're right. I don't care. Why the hell would I care about some clumsy insecure little schoolgirl when I havebetter things to do with my time?" He stepped away from me, looking down at me like I was a mongrel dog or something.

"Well, good luck with that." I growled, "And next time keep your fucking lips to yourself, Rich Boy!"

And with that final venomous retort I stormed out of the classroom, leaving the seething CEO behind, all on his lonesome. That infuriating interfering stuck-up bastard! I hate him! _I hate him so damn much!_ Even if he had just given me the best kiss of my life…

* * *

**Chiyo: There you go, chapter 3. Did you enjoy the rape scene?**

**Cara: For the last goddamn time, it **_**wasn't**_** a goddamn rape scene!!**

**Chiyo: It wasn't far off. Anyways, when **_**is**_** the 'official' rape scene?**

**Cara: (whips out chapter planner) uh… It should be in the next chapter.**

**Chiyo: Yeah, but knowing you it probably won't happen until chapter 8.**

**Cara: Hey, I'm not that bad!**

**Chiyo: (cough)**

**Cara: Please review. I feel loved when I get reviews! Pwetty Pwease!!**

**Chiyo: Oh God, here she goes…**


	4. RAPE! Encounters down alleyways

**Cara: Heya, before we get on with chappie four I want to give a big thank you to our reviewers:**

**journeymaker**

**DaniMag-san**

**xxSaphira**

**codeblueeyes987**

**We really appreciate it, you guys! THANK YOU!**

**Chiyo: Yep, thanks for the nice reviews.**

**Cara: Ok, on with the chapter…**

**Chiyo: This chapter contains the usual amount of swearing and the long awaited rape scene. (Finally!) Oh, and there's a bit of drug use in here, too.**

**Cara: Please read and review!**

* * *

Chapter 4:

I couldn't stop thinking about Kaiba. It was like his piercing cerulean eyes had bored deep into my mind and soul and left its imprint there. Permanently. Christ, listen to me, I sound like a bloody poet or something, but seriously, I could not get him out of my damn head!

I'd also never really noticed just how many classes we are both in together, and I only realised when I happened to gaze absently around the classroom and then be met with the full force of the Kaiba glare. Four out of five classes I had to put up with being glowered at by him every time I looked up! That means I only got one hour away from him! Only one fucking hour out of a full day of school! And to think I'd never noticed before! Surely I would've seen him trying to sit down in his seat without causing himself more severe pain from shoving that stick even further up his ass, but no, I'd never noticed before. Until now.

So, even though school had finished, and I was now sat on the couch in my apartment, with my beautiful Border Collie Gracie laid beside me, watching _Friends_ and eating Oreos by the bucket-load, I still found my thoughts drifting away to a certain blue-eyed, brown-haired, cinnamon-scented (and flavoured) CEO…

Why had he kissed me? This was the main thing that was really niggling in the back of my mind. _Why_? Why would he, a handsome billionaire and owner of one of the most well-known and successful companies, and who probably has millions of girls throwing themselves at his feet on a regularity, want to kiss _me_? After all, I am, as he so delicately put it, a clumsy insecure little schoolgirl in his eyes. It was really puzzling me.

Oh, and he's found out about my scars, too. Shit, I should've seen that one coming. Now I think about it, it was so fucking obvious he'd stick his hand up the back of my blouse whilst he was distracting me with a fucking snog, like a fucking typical bloke, but, as I said, he was distracting me! Argh! Men! Cunning bastards, the lot of them! But he doesn't know how I got them, though, so I'm safe. For now.

I ran my fingers absently through Gracie's thick soft black and white fur, causing her to whine happily and wag her tail furiously, thumping it against my leg and bringing me (thankfully) back to earth from my Kaiba-infected internal dispute. She gazed up at me with her huge amber eyes, and I melted, as I always did when she looked at me with her beautiful eyes. I think that's my weakness: pretty eyes. I can't help it. Gracie has them, Yugi and Yami have identical glittering violet, Ryou and Bakura share the same delicious shade of chocolate brown, Marik and Malik have a delicate yet fierce mauve, Joey has adorable toffee brown, almost like a puppy, and Kaiba. Well, Kaiba's eyes are like icy gems of the most purest of blues, like the deepest sparkling sapphire ocean… God, I need an Aspirin.

"You hungry, Gracie?" I asked, and the small yap I received in return confirmed my suspicions. She leapt off me and bounded away into the kitchen, and I followed, yawning and stretching. It was only seven thirty, but for some reason all I wanted to do was crawl into my nice warm bed and sleep for as long as I could. It's a bloody good job it's the weekend tomorrow, because school was so not high on my to-do list.

Gracie was sat next to the table where her bowl was, and she pushed it closer towards me with her nose, her amber eyes fixed on mine. I opened many cupboards in my bid to find the tins of shit that she somehow seems to love, and finally struck gold (or more accurately, aluminium) in the cupboard by the fridge, opened a tin and poured the sloppy brown crap into her bowl, and then almost retched as I watched her eat it with such gusto, it was as though I hadn't fed her in weeks. I had fed her before, just in case you're wondering. She's just a tad greedy at times. Heh, says her with the half-empty packet of Oreos still in her hand…

"I'm gonna hit the sack, Gracie. Feel free to join me when you've finished, 'kay?" I said, dropping the Oreo packet on the table and leaving the kitchen, making my way into my bedroom. What a day. My shoulders were aching soooo much, for some reason. The sooner I get my ass into that bed, the better. I peeled off my socks, wriggled out of my school skirt, ragged the tie from around my neck and started unbuttoning my blouse at the same time as opening my drawer to find my PJs, when my mobile phone jolted to life on my bedside cabinet and started singing _Figure 9_ by Linkin Park, scaring me shitless.

With a sudden burst of energy, I launched myself across my bed and grabbed my phone, reading the display screen.

_Joey Wheeler_. I smiled and answered.

"Hey, Joey. What's up?"

"Hey Rennie, that's some mighty fine underwear you've got on!" He chuckled. Eh? What? My underwear?

"Huh?"

"I didn't think you were the type to wear such kinky knickers, but now I've seen you in those pale blue French panties, well…" I looked down, and to my absolute shock and horror, I was wearing pale blue French pants, just like he'd said! _How the hell…?_

"How… how d'you…?"

He chuckled again.

"I can see you, Rennie. I'm right outside your window."

I ran to the window and flung it open to find one Joey Wheeler sat on a branch of the tall tree next to my apartment, his phone held to his ear and the widest grin I've ever seen plastered across his face.

"Joey Wheeler! You are _such_ a pervert!" I shook my head, pulling my blouse tighter across my chest, lest he started commenting on my pale blue bra that matched the knickers! He snickered and slid his phone back into his pocket.

"You gonna let me in? Or do I have to sit up in this tree all night?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and moved away from the window, allowing him to climb in through it. He straightened up, still grinning, and brushed twigs and leaves from his jacket.

"Hi." He smiled. He was wearing a pair of tight jeans, Converse sneakers, a black sleeveless shirt and a leather jacket over the top of that. His eyes were outlined with black kohl, and his dark blond hair was a little messier than usual, probably because it had half the leaves from the tree still clinging to it. I giggled and brushed them out with my hand, letting them flutter down into a pile on the carpet.

"Y'know, you could've just rung the bell and waited at the door like a normal person." I said, folding my arms across my chest. He smirked and sat himself down on the edge of my bed, running his hand through his messy blond locks.

"That would've been boring. And besides, I wanted to surprise you."

"And perv me getting undressed?"

"Well, that was an added bonus."

I rolled my eyes again and sat down beside him.

"So, what d'you want?" I asked as he put his arm around my shoulders.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come out with me. It's been ages since we've been out anywhere."

"Joey, it's only been a week since the gang's been out somewhere. And we're all going to the movies tomorrow, remember?" I reminded him. He nodded.

"Yeah, I know, but I mean it's been ages since just me and you went out together, Rennie." He said, looking at me with those big toffee eyes of his. Yeah, he was right. It had been a long time since it's been just me and him, hanging out and having a laugh together. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of Yugi and the others, but I've kinda missed hanging out with Joey, just the two of us. Just like old times.

"Well, I was about to go to bed…"

"Aw, c'mon Rennie! It's like seven thirty!" He groaned. I grinned.

"Fine, then. Where did you have in mind?"

* * *

Y'know, if I was one of those girls who monitors her calorie intake with such painfully precise care, I'd be slitting my wrists in a corner right now, because I'd be lucky if I could _roll_ home, never mind walk, after the two and a half pizzas I've just devoured. Joey was three-quarters of the way through his fourth pizza, but being the human dustbin he was, he obviously wasn't full yet, unlike me. Hey, I did eat God knows how many Oreos before he showed up, so I think I deserve a little leeway, don't you think? For all I know this could've been the only meal Joey's had all day, but then again, knowing Joey as well as I do, I very much doubt that.

"Christ, Joey! Slow down a little, would you?" I said as I watched him down the food so fast it was almost as though he'd inhaled it. He merely grinned at me, his cheeks bulging like a hamster's and continued to wolf down his pizza. Trust Joey to choose a pizza parlour for us to hang out at. I should've known wherever he suggested we go would include food. It always does. Not that I'm complaining, because he always insists he pays for everything, which is a damn good thing, because I'm dreading seeing the bill for the seven pizzas we've just demolished between us.

It was good hanging with Joey. I was wide awake now, and my shoulders didn't ache as much. And I'd completely forgotten all about Kaiba. It was just me and Joey, having fun.

"You look great tonight, Rennie." Joey said through his gobful of cheese and tomato mush. I smiled.

"Thanks, Joey." For once, I had actually made an effort with what I was wearing. Usually I'd just rag on some jeans and a top, grab my trainers and I'd be sorted, but today I was sat here wearing a tight black waistcoat over a pink top, a flared white miniskirt and pink Converse sneakers. I'd outlined my large amethyst eyes with black eyeliner and brushed my long hair free of its plait, so it flowed down to my waist like a pale lavender waterfall. I'd also added a silver necklace and pretty silver stud earrings as finishing touches. Obviously I'd done all this before Joey revealed where we'd be going. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered. "I look ok, I guess."

"Ok? You look fucking gorgeous! You should wear short skirts more often, Rennie." He replied, and I blushed a little at the compliment.

"Uh, I wear them all the time at school, Joey. As you saw this morning when you ran through the corridors with me over your shoulder." I pointed out with an impish smile, taking a sip of my chocolate milkshake.

"Yeah, but the skirt you're wearing now is _way_ shorter than the Domino uniform. It shows a lot more of your legs. I like it." He winked, swallowing his food and reaching for his own milkshake.

"You would like it, pervert." I smiled. He grinned back and then yawned widely before checking his watch.

"Wow, is it really that late?" he said. I grabbed his arm and looked at his watch. Ten twenty-five? God, I didn't think we'd been out that long. I know this pizza parlour wasn't exactly close to my apartment, and that'd we had been walking quite a while to get here, but still. Joey stood up and went to the waitress at the till, paid for our meals and we left.

"By the time we get back to my apartment it'll be bloody midnight." I said as we wandered back down the street we'd walked up earlier. Joey grinned and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer so I fit snugly under his arm, keeping me warm from the chilly night air.

"That's ok, I'll just crash at yours." He said. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Oh, you will, will you?"

"Yeah." He chuckled and I put my arm around his waist, laughing softly along with him.

After about half an hour or so, I began to recognise our surroundings. We weren't far from my apartment now. We'd be back in ten minutes, tops. Or so I thought.

Joey stopped suddenly. I looked at him. His face was a little pale.

"Hey, Joey? What's up?" I asked, wondering if he was gonna be sick or something. Hey, I wouldn't blame him if he were, especially after all those pizzas. "Joey?"

"Something's not right here, Rennie. I feel like we're being watched." He whispered, looking around. I unconsciously moved closer to him and looked around also. The street was silent and empty, with no lights on in the houses surrounding us, and there was a dark alley on both sides, in between two houses. Joey was right, it didn't feel as it should. I could feel eyes scorching into my back, and a chill ran up my spine.

"Let's get outta here, Rennie." Joey muttered, grasping my hand.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that, Blondie." A cold voice chuckled from the alley to our right, and we spun around to see a man step out of the shadows, his emerald eyes gleaming like a cat's. "You see, we've been waiting here for you both for a long time. We were beginning to think you wouldn't show up. Until now, of course."

Joey pushed me back and stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body.

"Who are you? And what the fuck do you want?" he hissed at the stranger, his hands curling into fists, ready for a fight. The stranger tutted and shook his head.

"Who we are and what we want are of little importance to you. All that matters is that you're here now, and that you've wandered straight into our trap, as predicted." He smirked. I tensed up and clung tighter to the back of Joey's leather jacket. _This couldn't be happening!_ _This could not be happening to us!_

"We haven't walked into any trap. You can't do anything. There are two of us, and only one of you. The odds are against you." Joey retorted.

The guy cackled loudly and clicked his fingers. The sound echoed around the silent street and about four more men stepped out from the shadows behind him, only these guys were wielding sharp knives and heavy chains, and looked strong enough to snap bones with a single flick of the wrist. In that split-second, we were in even deeper shit than we ever thought possible.

"On the contrary, it seems the odds our very much in my favour."

Joey swore and moved forwards, his fists raised and his sights set for the leader, the guy with green eyes, but I grabbed onto one of his arms.

"Joey! You can't fight them all off on your own!" I reasoned, desperately tugging at the limb that was in my grip.

"I can try."

"NO! I won't let you! You throw one punch and you'll become their fucking target practise!" I cried. Joey spun to face me, his toffee eyes blazing with determination.

"Good, then you'll be able to make a run for it." _What? _Did he think I would just run away and _leave him here to die_? No fucking way!

"That's not gonna happen, Joey. If we go down, we're going down together." I said purposefully.

"Ah, how sweet. Sticking together until the very end." The first guy interrupted, sneering at us. He and his gang stepped closer towards us, forcing us to back away down the opposite alley. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I can honestly say I've never been so scared in my life, but not for my own safety, for Joey's. I guarantee that I'd be able to handle most of the pain these guys could dish out, due to my _past experiences_, but I didn't want to watch Joey suffer. I'd sooner let them hurt me than watch them hurt Joey. I'd sooner die.

"What do you want from us?" I asked, sounding so much calmer than I actually felt. My heart was hammering so hard and loud against my ribs, it felt as though the sound was echoing around the otherwise silent street. Green eyes scratched his chin absently. In the pale glow of the moonlight, there was something really familiar about his face, but I just couldn't place it.

"Well, now you ask, I don't really know what we want from you, but I'm sure we'll figure something out soon, won't we?" He grinned, licking his lips suggestively as he leered at me. "Such a pretty little girl. Such a pretty, pretty creature. Trust me, we'll make sure you have fun tonight." I recoiled rapidly at his words. Like Hell I'd have fun with these bastards!

"I'd rather rip out my own eyes than do anything with you dicks!" I spat, and all of them cackled, exchanging amused looks. I didn't like the way this was going one bit. We were in serious trouble here, and I knew Joey felt the same, since his breathing had become a lot deeper, as had mine.

"That can easily be arranged, my pretty." Green eyes said, giving another evil little chuckle and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a knife and tipping the blade gently with the end of his finger, drawing small beads of blood. He pointed it at me and made a slashing motion against his own throat, grinning widely. The meaning was obvious.

"We're in some deep shit here, Joey." I said quietly, backing away from the approaching thugs faster, and Joey nodded in reply.

"Some really deep shit."

As we retreated, Joey's foot tapped against something metallic, and we both glanced down. A short length of lead pipe. With a split seconds hesitation, Joey reached down and grabbed it in both hands, before straightening back up quickly and pointing it threateningly at our assailants.

"Back off!" He hissed. The thugs wavered uncertainly a few seconds, and then looked at their Boss, Green eyes.

"What're you waiting for?" He sniggered, "Are you scared of getting hurt by the hands of a pathetic teenager?"

The thugs growled angrily at his accusation and lurched forwards, weapons trained directly on Joey. Standing beside him, I clenched my own fists and braced myself to join in the fight, but I was shoved unceremoniously out of the way by Joey and sent flying back across the alley on my ass as they pounced on him in a flurry of fists, chains and knives.

"Joey!" I cried as I struggled to my feet, fearing for the blond and preparing to launch myself in the midst of the fray to help him.

"No, Renami! Stay back! I can handle this!" Joey shouted, and I realised that Joey didn't need any help. He was conquering all four of their asses at once! Wait… four? Where was…?

"Did you miss me, my pretty?" purred a voice in my ear as the cold blade of a knife was pressed against my throat, causing me to gasp in surprise and freeze in my tracks. Shit! How the fuck did he get behind me without me noticing?

Green eyes chuckled, his chin resting on my shoulder and his other hand gripping my arm in a vice-like hold, practically stopping blood flow to my fingers.

"Get off me!" I snarled. He tutted softly, the sound magnified by how close he was to my ear.

"Why? I haven't had any fun with you yet."

"You're never gonna have _anything_ with me, dickhead!"

"We shall see, my pretty. We shall see." He twisted my arm deftly up my back, and I cried out in pain, making the fighting seize as Joey and the two thugs that were left standing looked up to see what was happening.

"Renami!" Joey yelled and started to run towards us.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast, Blondie." Green eyes smirked, digging his blade a little deeper into the soft flesh of my throat, and Joey skidded to a stop when the blood began to slowly dribble down my neck. "You wouldn't want me to slit your precious girlfriend's pretty little throat, would you? It'd be _such_ a waste."

Joey's knuckles tightened on the lead pipe, unsure on what he should do. I looked at him helplessly, pleading silently with Joey to not cave in to this monster's demands. I wanted him to keep hold of his weapon. I didn't care about myself.

"Drop the pipe, Blondie. Or would you rather I gut the girl like a pig? It's your choice." Green eyes said.

"Don't do it, Joey!" I shouted, only to have my arm twisted up my back again and tears of pain began to slide down my cheeks.

"Five," Green eyes sang, "four, three, two, on-"

"Alright! Alright! I'm putting it down, just don't hurt her!" Joey cried, dropping the pipe. The resulting metallic clang as it hit the floor echoed throughout the alleyway, but the sound was drowned out by Green eyes's maniacal laughter.

"I don't plan to hurt her, Blondie. She was never the target." He grinned, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a glint of silver in the hand of one of the fallen thugs who had got back to his feet, and was now approaching the unsuspecting blond…

"JOEY! Look out!" I screamed, but it was too late. Joey spun around and the thug jabbed something into his neck, holding it there for a moment before flinging it at my feet. Joey crumpled to the floor and I looked down to see an empty syringe by my sneakers, the contents of which that bastard had just emptied into my best friend's bloodstream.

"NO! JOEY!!" I started struggling violently in my bid to get to my fallen friend's side, completely forgetting and/or not caring that the knife was still at my throat. Green eyes's grip tightened on my arm, fighting to keep me captive.

"Be still!"

"FUCK OFF!! JOEY!!"

"Stop struggling! Blondie isn't dead yet!"

"WHAT'VE YOU DONE TO HIM, YOU BASTARD?!"

"Fucking… Hell… stop… struggling!" Green eyes grunted, dropping the knife and using his now free arm to drag me back by the waist, desperately trying to keep my from getting to Joey. All I could think about was Joey. I needed to see if he was still alive! _JOEY! Don't die! Please, don't die!_

"You! Fucking… grab hold of… her! NOW!" Green eyes commanded, and one of his thugs grabbed me and removed me from their Boss's desperate grip. I continued to try to free myself, but this guy was built like a fucking mountain. He held me so tight I could barely breathe, but that didn't stop me yelling Joey's name.

"JOEY!!"

"Shut her up!" Green eyes spat, and the human mountain clapped a meaty paw over my mouth, muffling my shouts. I still kicked and thrashed the best I could, but then I stopped suddenly when I heard a low groan. JOEY!

"See. I told you he wasn't dead." Green eyes said, looking down at the stirring figure at his feet with a slightly disgusted expression on his face. "He just got a little weak-kneed from his dosage of drugs." I bit down hard on my captor's hand and he removed it from my face with a small grunt of pain, leaving me free to talk.

"What drugs?" I demanded. Green eyes grinned.

"Why should I tell you, my pretty?"

"Stop calling me that!"

Green eyes cackled. Joey gave another groan and shakily dragged himself to his knees, his usually bright toffee eyes cloudy and unfocused. He looked to be in a real bad way. Whatever drugs they injected him with, they were definitely taking their toll on his body. I just prayed they wouldn't cause permanent damage when we get out of this. _If_ we get out of this.

"Let us go." I begged, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as Green eyes grabbed Joey's right arm, pulled it up straight behind him and cruelly stamped on his elbow. I cried out in shock and Joey yelled in complete agony, and the loud cracking sound that echoed was, with no doubt in my mind, the sound of a bone breaking.

"You bastard!" I screeched as Joey keeled over onto his side, clutching his now unnaturally limp arm. Green eyes merely smirked and nodded at the three remaining thugs, and they proceeded in picking up where their Boss left off, kicking the shit out of the drugged blond.

"No! Stop! Stop it! Leave him alone!"

Green eyes walked calmly back towards me, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He tilted his head to one side and watched me struggle with an amused look on his face.

"Stop this!" I cried, wincing with the thud of every punch, every kick, every blow Joey took.

"Why?" Green eyes asked, sneering at me. "This is fun."

"You bastard!" I snarled and spat at him. He dodged and grinned, if possible, wider than he already was. I glared at him, and I've never hated anyone so much in my life, save one. "You hurt him anymore, and I swear I'll kill you!"

Green eyes blinked.

"Death threats? From you? I hardly think you're in the position to make death threats, don't you, my pretty?" he said, but he clicked his fingers and his thugs stopped their relentless beating of the blond. Joey now lay battered, bruised and bleeding on the floor, not even twitching, but I could tell he was still with us, because his toffee eyes were trained on mine, clearer than they had been a few moments ago. Maybe the drug was only short-term or something, because Joey looked to be snapping out of his drugged state. Or maybe the beating he had received was countering the drug's effects.

Green eyes turned his back on me.

"Hold him." He commanded, and two thugs grabbed Joey by the arms and slammed him back into a sitting position against the wall, holding him there, and Green eyes approached him, unfastening his belt. _Oh God!_ _Not Joey! Please, not Joey!_

"No! Don't!" I cried, realising what he was about to do, but Green eyes simply glanced at me over his shoulder and then returned his attention to Joey. He knelt before the blond, drawing his knife he had retrieved earlier and in two deft movements slashed through the material of Joey's jeans, exposing his bottom half as he threw the shredded clothing to one side.

"NO!" I screamed, struggling so violently in my captor's arms that even the man-mountain had difficulty holding on. "I won't let you do that to Joey!"

"You can't stop me." Green eyes replied, this time not even bothering to turn around. He removed his own trousers and positioned himself at Joey's entrance.

"NO! STOP! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Someone shut her up."

"How?"

"Drug her."

The remaining thug drew out a syringe just like the one he'd jabbed Joey with, and he approached me cautiously, dodging my thrashing legs and flailing arms before catching hold of my left wrist and injecting the liquid directly into my vein. It took a few moments for the drugs to take effect, but when they kicked in, my limbs became heavy and weak, and my vision went blurry. It was difficult to keep my head up, but strangely, I wasn't in any pain. It just felt like my entire body had gone numb.

"No… Joey…" I cried helplessly, trying my damn hardest to fight the drugs working their way around my system, "Don't hurt… leave him… no… Joey…"

Green eyes gave one more evil chuckle and then plunged himself deep into Joey until he was sheathed to the hilt. I knew the scream of pain that erupted from Joey's mouth would haunt me for the rest of my life as Green eyes pulled out and then in again, twice as hard as he had the first time.

From my position, I saw everything as it happened. I no choice but to watch as the bastard violated my best friend in the worst possible way. I saw Joey's face twist with pain, and I heard his bloodcurdling screams of agony rip through the air as Green eyes pounded into him mercilessly, stretching him, tearing him. I smelt the blood before I saw it.

"No… Joey…"

"Nhn… so _tight_…" Green eyes grunted, and his whole body shook as he came in my best friend. Joey was now unconscious, the drugs, the beating and the rape finally getting the better of him. Green eyes pulled himself out of Joey and replaced his trousers, grinning and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You… bastard…" I murmured, tears flowing swiftly down my cheeks as I tried to avoid looking at the abused, blood-splattered blond. Green eyes walked back over to me, laughing softly. He cupped my chin in his hand and brought my face up to look at him. The hatred in my eyes could've burned a hole straight through his head.

"Hush, my pretty. Be thankful it's not you over there." He smirked, wiping the tears from my face with the back of his hand. I tried to jerk my head away from him, but the drugs were still in control of my body, so I just shuddered and hissed at his touch. Green eyes grinned and let go of my chin.

"He was a good fuck, your friend. D'you think I'd be able to go for round two?" he said.

"You… do and I'll… hunt you down… and… kill you like the… animal… you are…" I said with as much venom as I could muster. Green eyes's brow furrowed and he narrowed his eyes.

"You will regret those words…" He began, raising his fist…

"HEY!" came a shout, and our attention snapped straight to the entrance of the alley, where three new figures stood, one tall and slender, and two huge muscular guys, one on either side of him. The tall figure pointed at Green eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he hissed, and there was something familiar about his voice that ate into the midst of my drug-fuzzled brain.

I could tell the drugs were overpowering me, because a black curtain was descending over my vision and my hearing was getting fuzzy. I couldn't hear what Green eyes said in reply, even though he was less than three feet in front of me. I knew I wouldn't stay conscious for much longer.

From what I then saw through my blurry eyes, Green eyes took a threatening step forwards with his gang, but the two muscular guys drew guns from shoulder holsters and sent a volley of warning shots deliberately high over their heads, causing the bastards to scatter. The man-mountain let go of me, and, with my legs unable to hold me up, I fell back against the wall, gripping the bricks tightly with my fingers, praying that my rapidly failing eyesight would return. I heard footsteps running towards me, and footsteps running away from me, and someone grabbed hold of my wrist in a painfully tight grip.

"Alex sends his regards." Green eyes hissed, before letting go and sprinting away with the rest of his gang. The shock of his words made my head spin one final time and I lost my hold on the wall, collapsing into the safe warm arms of our saviour and letting the darkness claim me.

_Alex sends his regards…_

* * *

**Cara: OOOOOH! CLIFFY ALERT! CLIFFY ALERT!**

**Chiyo: Yeah. It's a cliffy alright. And it's the longest chapter yet! Why didn't you split it into two parts?**

**Cara: (pouts) Coz I didn't want to. And besides, I would've ruined it if I had split it up. It's fine as it is.**

**Chiyo: (rolls eyes) Whatever.**

**Cara: Please review! Will Joey recover? Who is Green eyes? Who rescued Renami and Joey? ****_And who is Alex?_**


	5. It's all my fault

**Cara: Hey! Who's up for chappie 5?!**

**Chiyo: (rolls eyes) Like they're gonna get a choice…**

**Cara: (glares)**

**Chiyo: Wow, you've been practising. It's almost as evil as my glare.**

**Cara: Why, thank you.**

**Chiyo: I said almost. You're not quite there yet.**

**Cara: Oh yeah, I just want to clear something up here. I said this was our second fanfic, and that those people who don't know who Renami is should look to our first fanfic for guidance? Well, since our first fanfic is only one chapter, and it's crap and we're probably never gonna continue it, we've decided to make this story our 'official' first fanfic, because we actually enjoy writing this, or typing this, whatever.**

**Chiyo: Yeah, whatever. Anyways, on with the-**

**Cara: Oh, and I just wanna apologise to all the Joey fans out there about the shit he went through in the previous chapter, okay? Sorry guys!**

**Chiyo: Are you done now?**

**Cara: Yeah, all done.**

**Chiyo: Good. Ok, this chapter contains the usual amount of bad language. Please read and review. Cheers.**

**Cara: By the way, this first bit isn't from Renami's point of view, but she shall return a little later on! Ok, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Am I the only one who's noticed that the coffee they give you in hospitals tastes like dishwater? Apparently so, since I've just had a plastic cup full to the brim with the stuff shoved into my hands by some irritating overly-cheerful blonde-haired nurse as she ushered me into the waiting room and sat me down on one the most uncomfortable chairs in the world.

Christ, why am I even here? It's not like I was being forced to wait in this stuffy crowded room, surrounded by other people with problems of their own that I really didn't give a shit about, but for some reason, I didn't want to leave. I couldn't leave. I needed to know if she and the Mutt were ok. Well, not so much the Mutt.

"Excuse me, were you the young man who brought in two teenagers a few hours ago? A blond male and a purple-haired female?" came a voice. I looked up from my coffee (if you can call it coffee) to see a broad-shouldered doctor before me, wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard.

"Yes, I was." I said icily, standing up. I towered over the man, easily a good six inches, and I could tell, despite his bulk, he was a little intimidated by me. More than a little. Hell, who wouldn't be?

"Um… yes, well, we have seen to all their injuries, and should make their way to a full recovery without any complications."

"What injuries?"

"Well, the boy has a bad compound fracture to his right arm, several broken ribs, bruises covering the majority of his body, and also it appears he was sexually assaulted. The girl, however, is in a much better shape than her friend, with minor bruising to her arms, waist and wrists, as well as a shallow cut across her throat. Both teenagers were injected with a fairly strong dosage of the drug Sodium Pentothal."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't have time for this.

"I, unlike you, doctor, am not all that familiar with drugs like Sodium Pentothal, and I don't have the time nor the patience to stand here and listen to you, so talk plain English instead of the medical gibberish you usually spout." I said, folding my arms across my chest and looking down at him coldly. The doctor looked taken aback, and hurriedly elaborated.

"Sodium Pentothal is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate anaesthetic. It's a depressant, and is usually injected directly into the vein. Generally harmless in small amounts, but more serious after-effects can occur the higher the dosage."

"And how high a dosage did they receive?"

"We can't be sure until they wake up." He paused a moment and then looked up at me critically. "On the girl, we found numerous half-healed scars on her back, and when we took her into X-ray, we discovered that a number of her bones are in the final stages of repair, making us believe she has suffered a significant amount of trauma to her body round about six months ago. Do you know anything about this?"

A significant amount of trauma, huh? Six months ago? Well, that proves she was lying to me earlier this afternoon. But knowing this little bit of information made me even more curious about her. _What was she trying to hide?_

"No. I don't. Where is she?" I demanded.

"She's just down that corridor, take a right turn and you'll find her in the third room on the left, but the boy is in a different- "

I chuckled quietly.

"Doctor, what makes you think I give a damn about that useless mongrel? He's a waste of space as far as I'm concerned. Now, get out of my way." I said and swept past him, striding through the double doors and down the corridor as instructed before the good doctor had time to realise what I'd just said. Well, it was the truth, after all. That Mutt has been a thorn in my side since the day we had the misfortune of meeting each other. I didn't give a shit what became of him, but I expected he'd never be the same again, judging by the state I'd seen him in when I found them both in the alley.

Marching past various wards and rooms on my way, I found myself yet again wondering what the Hell I was doing here. I should be at home, sat behind my desk, a glass of my favourite Scotch in my hand whilst sorting through the usual work-related crap on my laptop, yet here I was, trailing through endless corridors in a foul-smelling hospital to see someone for no other reason than the fact that something about her has caught my attention, and the stubborn bastard in me just can't let it go.

Great. I was here. I glanced through the glass pane in the door to check I was in the right place and then I went in, shutting the door behind me before making my way towards the sleeping figure in the middle of the room. Seeing her lying there, bruises littered up and down her arms, standing out on her lightly tanned skin like blood on snow, I couldn't help a small twinge of pity in my blackened excuse for a heart. She looked so frail, so helpless, so unlike the feisty bitch she usually was. It didn't suit her.

I stood by the side of the bed for a moment, surveying the battered form wrapped up in crisp white sheets, and it suddenly struck me that she looked almost like an angel, with her long waves of pale lavender hair fanned out across the pillow, and the serene expression on her beautiful face as she slept peacefully, free from the living Hell she'd had to endure, both today and earlier in her life.

_Beautiful,_ I thought, gently trailing the back of my hand down her arm, marvelling at how soft and smooth her skin was, like silk, _just beautiful._

Someone of such beauty deserved much more than she had. So much more…

I must be out of my Goddamn mind…

* * *

Renami's POV:

My head felt like it was being hacked in two by a madman with a meat cleaver. And I'm not exaggerating, either. One eye opened a crack, and bright light flooded in, efficiently blinding me for a few more seconds and intensifying my pounding headache. Needless to say, I was less than impressed.

"Why…" I croaked, my voice a little rusty from lack of use, "Why do I… feel like… shit…?"

An unexpected deep chuckle answered my words. My eyes flew open and I gaped at the last person on earth I expected to wake up to.

_"Kaiba?"_

"So, you're finally awake, are you?" Kaiba smirked, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on a plastic chair by my bed, his icy blue eyes trained on mine. My jaw dropped.

"W-what the…? W-where am I…? W-why are _you_ here…?" I stammered, heaving myself (with extreme effort) up onto my elbows and noticing that I was wearing what seemed to be a blue paper dress instead of my normal clothes.

"You're at hospital. I brought you and the Mutt here after I found you in that alley." He said as he brushed a few non-existent specks of dust from his white trench coat. I shook my head numbly, blurred images beating against the back of my mind, fighting to be set free.

"Alley…? I don't…"

"Don't you remember? You and the Mutt were jumped by about five men. They drugged you both, and beat and raped him."

It was like his words set off some kind of chain reaction in my brain, and the events of earlier this evening came rushing back to me: the surprise ambush, the fighting, the drugs, Joey's rape, and Green eyes and his chilling final message.

_"Alex sends his regards."_

Oh God... He must've found me. He must know where I am. I knew it was only a matter of time, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. _Shit!_ This was bad. Very bad.

"Safiya?"

"No…"

"Safiya?"

"No… He can't…"

"Renami?"

Kaiba's use of my first name brought me out of my dazed state. That, and the fact that his hands had just grabbed hold of my shoulders pretty tightly, and right on a few of my bruises too, I might add.

"OWWW!! What are you fucking trying to do to me, asshole?!" I yelped in pain and he removed his hands sharpish, "That hurt!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and stepped back.

"I gathered."

"Bastard…" I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear me. He raised an eyebrow and gave me that half-disgusted, half-amused look that he wears ninety-five percent of the time I'm around him. I gave him a glare in return and then looked down at my arms, examining the deep purple/black bruises that covered them. Shit, there were more bruises on my arms than fucking skin! I could even see a small pinprick on my vein where I'd been injected with the drugs.

"Where's Joey?" I asked as I traced around the handprint of bruises that ran round my wrist, caused by the hands of that bastard Green eyes.

"How should I know? And what makes you think I care?" Kaiba snorted, and I swung my head up so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.

"How can you say that?" I hissed angrily, glaring at him, "You fucking saw what state he was in down that alley! You should care!"

"Why? I didn't do that to him, did I?"

"No, but-"

"And I didn't _have_ to save you both, did I?"

"No, but-"

"So why should I give a damn about you and the Mutt?"

"Well, why the fuck are you still here then, you arrogant, self-centred son of a bitch?!" I snarled, my anger rising to newfound levels. Kaiba merely scowled at me and refolded his arms.

"I don't have to explain myself to someone like _you_, Safiya." He retorted. I gripped my sheets tightly to stop myself wrapping my hands around his neck and squeezing until his legs quit kicking. Grrrrr… Why does Kaiba know the _exact_ way to get under my skin? It's like a fucking natural talent he was born with! And he wonders why nobody likes him…

"And I don't want to waste my breath arguing with you, Kaiba, so get the Hell out of my way." I spat, flinging back the covers and swinging myself out of the bed, making for the door, but my legs were still weak from the after-effects of the drugs, so I staggered and fell straight into Kaiba's arms, my head colliding with his surprisingly sturdy chest, drawing a grunt of "Oof!" from the CEO.

"What are you doing?" he said, noticing I was still gripping onto his trench coat to keep myself standing.

"I'm going to find Joey!" I replied. I let go of him and took an experimental step forwards, only to stumble yet again. I would've fallen flat on my face if he hadn't grabbed hold of my elbow at the last moment.

"It looks like your body still hasn't got over the drugs yet." He said.

I glared at him.

"No shit, Sherlock."

He chuckled softly and then he suddenly swept the legs out from under me and I found myself in his arms as he started carrying me, bridal style, towards the door. I swear, my brain nearly shut down there and then.

_"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Kaiba?!"_ I screeched indignantly. He rolled his eyes again.

"Relax, I'm not kidnapping you. You want to get to the Mutt, but it's obvious you can't walk yet, so what does it look like I'm doing?" he replied, kicking the door open with one foot and heading back down the corridor he undoubtedly came up through.

It was a strange, to say the least. Being carried in Kaiba's arms, I mean. He was holding me so gentle, but maybe that was because he didn't want to get another earful of bad language if he accidentally touched my bruises again. And I noticed his chest was really comfortable to rest my head on, and breathing in his delicious cinnamon scent seemed to be clearing my headache in someway. It was strange. Somehow, I felt safe, despite everything.

_Why was Kaiba doing this?_ I wondered, glancing up at him from my snug position buried in his chest. I always thought him so callous, so arrogant. In my mind he had always been an egotistical bastard, who thinks he's better than everyone else, just because he's got cash. A lot of cash. But, if it was possible, I think he might have a soft side he's holding out on, and if that's the case, _what else could he be hiding?_

I don't think he even knows that himself…

"What happened to you, Safiya?" Kaiba asked unexpectedly, not looking at me as he continued to stride purposefully down the seemingly endless corridor. I blinked at the random question.

"What d'you mean?"

"Those scars on your back. I want to know the truth."

Christ, he's like a fucking dog with a bone: once he's got hold of it, there ain't no way he's letting it go.

"I told you the truth earlier, Kaiba. Why can't you just accept that?" I sighed.

"Because I know you lied."

I looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was calling my bluff to get me to fess up, or something. Huh, I wasn't falling for that! Nope, no way!

"Those scars felt pretty recent to me, and the doctor told me that they found out from your X-ray that some of your bones were in the last stages of repair. He said that whatever happened that made you get those injuries, happened about six months ago."

…_Damn_…

"So it's safe to say you lied to me when I asked after our little _encounter _in the classroom." He concluded. The corner of his lips twitched a little, the telltale sign for the start of the infamous Kaiba smirk. He had me and he knew it. Shit! Why that interfering son of a bitch!

"Fine. I admit I lied. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you what really happened, Kaiba." I retorted, really pissed that he'd managed to pull one over on me, "I've not told anyone…" I added in an undertone, too quiet for him to hear.

Kaiba seemed to drop it then, and after stopping to ask a red-haired male nurse directions and another ten minutes of searching, we finally got to Joey's room. I didn't want Kaiba to carry me in, just in case Joey was awake and jumped to any unnecessary conclusions, so I made him put me down and he followed me in as I pushed the door open tentatively and shakily stepped inside, helping myself along the way by grabbing hold of various objects to steady myself.

"Oh Joey…" I sighed, seeing the mess my best friend had become. His face was swollen and pale, the numerous deep cuts making his skin seem even paler. A cast on his right arm ran from his wrist up almost to his shoulder, and several drips ran into the other arm, amongst the bruises that were way larger and darker than mine. He was still unconscious.

I leaned over him and brushed a few stray locks of his soft blond hair so I could see his entire face. My heart broke as I looked at him, the awful truth hitting me so hard that I actually staggered back into the seat by his bed.

_It was all my fault._

"I'm so sorry, Joey… I'm so, so sorry…"

Tears began to drip down my face as I grasped his hand in mine, stroking slow circles on the back of his hand with my thumb, wishing, praying that it had all been a bad dream, that none of this had really happened. I wanted so badly to just wake up to find it had been nothing but a horrible nightmare, but I knew my hopes were all in vain.

Joey was damaged. Maybe beyond repair. And I was the one who made him that way.

"You didn't deserve this Joey… It's all my fault… None of this should've happened to you… I'm so sorry…" I wept, pressing my lips against the back of the hand I held, guilt eating me up from the inside. A comforting hand fell softly on my shoulder, and I looked around through tear-filled eyes to see Kaiba behind me, staring down at the sleeping blond over my shoulder. His face was as it usually was, cold, stony, devoid of all emotion, but even he couldn't disguise the flicker of pity in his cobalt eyes. It was obvious he had been lying when he said earlier that he didn't care. Maybe it was because he hadn't known just how bad a state Joey was in until now.

Kaiba's eyes met mine, and they seemed to soften a little. He squeezed my shoulder gently, and I placed my free hand on top of his, to show I was grateful for his sympathy.

_It was all my fault._

The door flew open with a bang, scaring us both shitless. Kaiba's hand left my shoulder and I spun around just in time to see him be slammed back against the wall by a guy with spiky platinum blond hair.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO JOEY, KAIBA?!" Marik shouted, snarling at Kaiba with pure undiluted hatred. I stood up quickly as Malik, Ryou, Bakura, Yami and Yugi entered the room a few seconds after him.

"I didn't touch the Mutt, you fucking brainless idiot!" Kaiba hissed in return, grabbing the front of Marik's jacket as Marik had grabbed his. Marik snorted, clearly not believing him. None of the others did either.

"Wait!" I cried as Marik raised his fist threateningly. I knew that Marik could deliver a powerful punch when he was angry enough, like he was now. "He's telling the truth, Marik. He didn't do this to Joey."

All eyes turned to me, and widened as they noticed all the bruises and cuts. I stared back, tears still sliding down my cheeks. Malik placed a hand on his lover's arm and Marik released Kaiba with a growl, before allowing himself to be dragged away from the CEO.

"Are you ok, Rennie?" Malik said, his eyes fixed on the slit that ran across my throat. I nodded, wrapping my arms around me and hugging myself, trying to cover up the bruises. I didn't want their sympathy. I didn't deserve it.

"How… How is he?" Ryou asked quietly as the six of them moved closer to the bed, Kaiba choosing to stay by the wall, a safe distance away from us.

"He's still asleep." I replied, turning back to our fallen friend and taking hold of his hand again. We gathered around his bed, staring down at him in silence for a few moments, all of them wide-eyed in disbelief at what had become of Joey Wheeler, the king of practical jokes and pranks, the soft-centred tough guy with a heart of gold. My brother. 1

"Who would be heartless enough to do this to anyone?" Yugi breathed, his hushed voice breaking the silence, "Especially to Joey."

"Monsters." I replied vehemently, the word tasting like acid in my mouth. I sat down on the bed, not taking my eyes from Joey. He stirred a little in his sleep, and we all held our breath, thinking he might wake up, but he remained in the shelter of his blissfully peaceful dreams where nothing could touch him, and nobody could harm him.

"Rennie?"

I looked up at my friends sadly, the weight of the rising waves of guilt etched into every inch of my skin, as deep and prominent as the scars on my back.

"What happened to you both?" Yami asked, voicing the question they all wanted to know. My gaze dropped again.

"I… I can't, I'm sorry. It was painful enough the first time… I don't want to go through it again so soon after." I whispered. They nodded in understanding, and I leant down to Joey and kissed him gently on the forehead, my free hand stroking his hair tenderly. I would've given anything to swap places with him. I'd rather it be me lying bloodied and bruised in this bed right now than him, but most of all I hated the fact that he was lying there because of me, because of something I caused, however indirectly.

The door opened again, and we all looked around to see a broad-shouldered doctor and a pretty brunette nurse walk in, the doctor looking a little surprised for some reason when he locked eyes with Kaiba, but he then turned away from the icy CEO, acknowledged the rest of us with a nod and then started checking on Joey, feeling his pulse and measuring his temperature. We stood and watched in anxious silence, not daring even to breathe until we heard the verdict. When he prised open Joey's eyelids carefully and shone a light in his toffee eyes, he frowned slightly and muttered something to the nurse, who then nodded and left.

Fear bubbled in the pit of my stomach and crept up my throat like bile. _Oh no, why was he frowning? What had he seen? What was wrong?_

"Doctor…?"

"His pupils are quite dilated. The drugs must still be in his system." The doctor said as he looked up. His eyes met mine. "It seems he was injected with either a higher dosage of drugs than you were, or the intensity of drugs was greater, Miss Safiya."

He sighed and switched his gaze back to Joey, shaking his head slightly.

"Poor kid. I think its best if he stayed here over night, just in case there's something more serious going on." My stomach lurched uncomfortably at his words, the pizzas from earlier threatening to resurface. Tears began to well up in my eyes again and an arm wrapped itself around my shoulders, pulling me closer to its owner.

"What about Renami? Should she stay in overnight too?" Yami said, his voice sending vibrations through my body as he hugged me close to his chest. The doctor looked at me thoughtfully.

"I shouldn't think so." He said, but gave me a quick once-over check up anyway, just to be sure, and when satisfied he stepped back from me again.

"You seem to be fine. You might still feel weak for a little while, but you should feel reasonably better after a good nights sleep, so I suggested you all go home and get some rest, then you can come back tomorrow. Mr Wheeler should be awake by then."

"Ok, thanks doctor."

One by one, the guys whispered their goodbyes to the sleeping blond, and I gave him another kiss on his forehead, this time my lips lingering a little longer on his warm skin.

"I'm so sorry, Joey…" I whispered, "This shouldn't have happened to you… I'm so sorry…" I stood back up straight, trailing my fingers down his bruised face, wishing he'd wake up and I could see him smile once more.

"Don't blame yourself, child," the doctor said softly, patting my hand sympathetically, "It wasn't your fault."

_It was! It was all my fault!_ I was screaming at him in my head, but I just nodded at him, staring down at my feet instead of voicing my inner turmoil. I gave Joey one final squeeze of the hand and then followed the others out of the room.

* * *

The guys were waiting for me just outside Joey's room. Kaiba was nowhere to be seen, but then again I hadn't really expected him to stick around any longer than he already had. I still didn't know _why_ he had actually been here in the first place, but at the moment, I didn't care. All I could think of was Joey.

"Renami? You okay?" One of them said. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't even register which one of them was talking to me, but I nodded anyway and wiped away the drying tear tracks on my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You need a lift home, Rennie?" Bakura asked, "You could come with me, Marik, Malik and Ryou, or I'm sure Yami and Yugi would drop you off on their way."

I smiled gratefully at them all.

"No, I'm ok. I'll walk or get a taxi, or something. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll meet you back here tomorrow morning, yeah?" The guys exchanged reluctant looks, not really wanting to leave me, but knowing that I wouldn't back down no matter what they said or did. They know how much of a stubborn bitch I can be at times.

"You sure you'll be ok?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks guys, for everything."

I gave each of them a warm hug before turning on my heel and heading back up the corridor to my own room without looking back.

_It was all my fault._

I could've told them. I should've told them. They deserved to know what happened, but I didn't want to tell them. I wasn't being selfish, but if I didn't say anything about it then maybe I could convince myself that nothing bad happened, but now I think about it, I guess I am being selfish. Because I was the one to blame, and I didn't want them to know.

If I did tell them I'd have to tell them about everything else as well. My scars, Alex, everything I've tried so hard to keep secret all these years. All my darkest fears that could be turned into reality in a heartbeat, and everyone I hold dear could wind up like Joey, bruised and battered in a hospital ward, or even worse, lying dead in a morgue.

Suddenly, images of all my friends lying on cold metal slabs in a dark room crept into my head, bodies pale and lifeless, eyes that were once brimming with life now vacant and dull, faces frozen in their final expressions. I could see them all: Joey, Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Malik and Marik, all laid in a line, one beside the other. I could see me there too, coming to identify the bodies, sobbing my heart out, and noticing that all of them had carved into their chests, in deep spiky lettering oozing the last trickles of blood still in their veins, one word. A name. My name.

RENAMI.

I ran then, racing back to my room with almost inhuman speed, trying as hard as I could to outrun the horrific scenes in my head, tears flooding down my face as I ducked and dodged around other people milling around in the corridor. I thought back to what Green eyes had said back in the alley once more:

_"Alex sends his regards."_

I knew what that meant. He would be here soon. He would find me, and finish what he started, maybe targeting my friends first just to increase his pleasure of watching me suffer before finally doing away with me too, like he swore he would all those years ago…

Once back in my room I changed quickly back into my normal clothes, grabbed my jewellery that had been removed and left on the cabinet beside my bed, yanked on my sneakers and fled from the hospital, not even bothering to discharge myself and ignoring the frantic shouts of various doctors and nurses yelling for me to come back, but did I Hell. I ran like a woman possessed, weeping louder than ever before, staggering and stumbling down the familiar streets, not even noticing how bitterly cold and dark it was as I headed to my apartment.

I had to get out of here, I had to leave before anyone else got hurt, I had to disappear, but how…There was only one way that I could really keep my friends safe. I had to either hand myself over to him, and die at his hands, or just end my life myself…

Either way, I was damned.

My energy was fading fast, from both running and crying, the last of my reserves practically used up as I sprinted up the stairs to my apartment, legs threatening to fold beneath me. I had almost made it to the door when I tripped and fell up the remaining couple of steps, landing heavily on my knees and wincing at the dull thud as my bones connected painfully with concrete.

I struggled to pull myself back to my feet, but my arms shook and trembled helplessly as I tried to stand, my legs almost numb from the knees down. I gripped the door handle desperately and my fingers started to slip.

"What's the point?" I murmured, giving in and letting myself slide down the door, sobbing uncontrollably into my shaking hands, memories swimming around my head like shadows, sinister and haunting as I shivered in the waves of icy cold wind rushing around me, freezing the tears on my face.

_It was all my fault._

_And I would pay…_

_One way or another…_

* * *

**1 He's not her actual brother, she just means that they're really close, like brother and sister.**

**Cara: Hey, that's chapter 5 finished!**

**Chiyo: Getting a little morbid at the end though, wasn't it?**

**Cara: Huh? How d'you mean?  
Chiyo: Ok, how about this: (Reads back a few lines) ****_'I had to either hand myself over to him, and die at his hands, or just end my life myself'…_**

**Cara: uh…**

**Chiyo: You've practically got her slitting her wrists, and it's only the fifth bloody chapter!**

**Cara: So what?**

**Chiyo: Never mind. Please review, we'd appreciate it.**


	6. Memories

**Cara: Okay, here's chapter 6!**

**Chiyo: Yippee.**

**Cara: God, enthusiasm much.**

**Chiyo: Hell yeah. Ok, Disclaimer: We don't own any part of YuGiOh. We might wish we did, but in reality do we fuck.**

**Cara: Yeah. This chapter contains moderate swearing, MegaDrench pistols and a convo with a dog.**

**Chiyo: WTF?**

**Cara: Yeah, I know. We also give you a bit more information about this mysterious Alex person too! Yay! Please read and review!**

* * *

Chapter 6:

_/Memory/_

_It was a sweltering summers day, the intense rays of the sun so hot it was damn close to melting the sidewalk, but since beautiful warm days were rare around here, nobody was complaining._

_I stared absently round the park, watching happy toddlers running around, throwing Frisbees and having water fights with MegaDrench pistols, and couples and families lounging around on blankets, enjoying the heat as they worked their way through gigantic picnic hampers, overflowing with tasty treats and snacks._

_"Hey babe, whatcha thinking about?" a familiar delicious baritone voice purred in my ear as its owner wrapped his dark tanned arms comfortably around my waist. I smiled widely and leaned back, my head lolling against his firm chest._

_"Guess."_

_He chuckled and, because he was quite a bit taller than me, he rested his chin on the top of my head._

_"It wouldn't be me, would it?" he grinned. I giggled at him._

_"You sound so sure."_

_"Maybe because I know you so well, Kitten."_

_I smiled and blushed a little when he used his pet name for me: Kitten. He says its because of the noises I make sometimes, like purring slightly when we're cuddled up together, or making soft mewling sounds when he nibbles my ear or licks my neck, as he did often. Talk about embarrassing. But it's not my fault! I can't control the noises I make, can I? Especially not around him._

_"Ok, you got me there." I said and turned around so I was facing my lover and I draped my arms around his neck, staring up into deep dark green eyes, so dark they were almost black. I loved his eyes. They were amazing. I always melted when he looked at me. He made me feel so…wanted._

_He gazed down at me, looking for all the world like a God. He had a handsome face, with those breathtaking eyes, and long silky black hair, almost as long as mine, tied back with a black band, a few messy bangs at the front cascading around his face, determined not to be held in place. His skin, as dark and rich as chocolate gleamed in the ferocity of the midday sun, and the tight white shorts he was wearing showed off his surprisingly hairless legs and sculpted rather nicely to his sexy firm ass, and a black sleeveless tank top that clung to every inch of his well-built chest, defining every single muscle. Christ, I was drooling already._

_I just wanted to eat him up right there and then, and I noticed that my expression mirrored his own as he stared at me. I blushed as he growled approvingly and pulled me closer, both hands on my ass._

_"You look so cute when you blush, Kitten." He whispered and I felt his tongue flick gently against my ear lobe, which of course made me mewl like the goddamn cat he'd so affectionately nicknamed me as._

_"S-stop it…" I whimpered, squirming slightly under the sensual circles his warm tongue made against my skin. He smirked and started trailing kisses down my neck, his lips like petals pressed to my flesh, delicate and soft. His hands began to wander, moving from my waist and up my body slowly, his touch like fire, setting my skin ablaze, screaming for more._

_"I don't want to stop, Kitten," He purred, giving a triumphant grin when I drew in breath sharply and arched my back as his fingers traced tenderly over the spot just beneath my ribs, where he knew I was the most sensitive, "And you don't want me to stop either."_

_"You know me too damn well," I smiled impishly and opened my eyes I hadn't realised I'd closed. He smiled back at me and leaned in for the kiss, but I spun him round and pressed him up against a nearby tree trunk before he had time to realise what had happened. And then I kissed him._

_Our lips locked as we kissed fiercely, almost frantically, like there was no tomorrow, fighting as hard as we could, both of us wanting to dominate the other. I was determined to win for once, just to prove to him that I could be way more than the usual submissive Kitten he was so used to. I wanted to show him I could be one badass Pussycat. Meow!_

_But he had other ideas. Glancing at him, I noticed a mischievous glint in his lust-filled dark eyes, and he groped my ass with both hands at the same time as running his tongue along my bottom lip, so I squeaked and moaned simultaneously, allowing him the access he craved._

_His tongue probed my mouth, memorising each and every inch as he had so many times before and I moaned and mewled in response, loving every minute, drinking in as much of his sweet taste as I could. Wanting more of the delicious heat radiating from his body, I pressed myself closer to him, accidentally grinding against his groin, earning a husky groan from him and he kissed me, if possible, even deeper and more hungrily than before. I wished we could stay like this for the rest of eternity, together forever, but there were a few obvious issues that couldn't be overlooked, such as, for example, the need to breathe._

_We broke apart, gasping for breath and our lips kiss-swollen. We smiled warmly and leaned forwards, pressing our foreheads together and looking deep into each other's eyes, seeing nothing but love._

_"My pretty Kitty," he murmured, brushing stray strands of lavender hair from my eyes, his hand caressing my face so tenderly. He planted a small kiss on the tip of my nose, making me giggle, "I love you so much, Rennie."_

_"I love you too. I'll never stop loving you."_

_He took my hand in his, pulling it to his lips and kissing it gently._

_"Together forever?" he asked, almost shyly. I smiled up at him and purred a little, rubbing my cheek against our entwined hands._

_"Together forever, Alex," I whispered, "Together forever…"_

_/End memory/_

Another blast of cold wind wrenched me back from my memories with hands of ice, clawing at every inch of my skin, determined to claim me. I was still crying, my knees pulled up to my chin to keep as much warmth as I possibly could, hot salty tears dripping onto and down my bare legs. I could still see his handsome tanned face in front of me, and those haunting dark green orbs that seemed to glow eerily in the pale moonlight, staring steadily into my amethyst eyes, watching, waiting…

"Why?" I asked aloud. The shadowy face twisted into a grin.

_"Why do you think, Kitten? I told you I'd be back, and now I am. We'll see each other again soon, Rennie. It's just a matter of time."_ He replied, his voice echoing, sending shivers down my spine that were nothing to do with the weather.

"Leave me alone! Leave my friends alone! Please!" I begged desperately, but he merely chuckled and reached forwards. I flinched and I could've sworn I felt his slender fingers ghost against my skin. I could even smell him, that sweet seductive scent that even I didn't know what it actually was.

_"Hush, my pretty Kitty. No matter how much you beg, you can't stop me. You can't escape me, and neither can your friends, you'll see. Sweet dreams, Kitten. I love you."_ He purred and pressed his lips to mine before fading into the darkness of the shadows once more, and those malicious dark green orbs seemed to flicker and morph into eyes of the brightest cobalt blue…

"Safiya?"

* * *

Seto's POV:

Ok, I admit it. I followed her. Not because I'm a creepy pervert or anything, but because, somehow, I knew she wouldn't go home with those idiots she calls her friends. I knew she'd make a run for it on her own, too distraught to give a shit about her own safety. And it's a bloody good job I _did_ follow her, for if I hadn't, there would've probably been a dead body lying on her doorstep in the morning.

She stumbled through the streets with amazing speed, despite the lingering effects of the drugs slowing her up. I found it a little difficult to keep up, I must admit, but I could tell where she was because I could hear her loud sobs a mile away. It was pretty distressing to watch her as she staggered up the steps to what I guessed was her apartment, and then she somehow managed to trip and land with such a loud thud on her knees that it made me wince, never mind her.

I think that must've been the last straw for her, because she seemed to try and pull herself back to her feet, before giving up and slumping against the door, sobs wracking through her body, her shoulders shaking violently as she wept into her hands. I considered walking away then, thinking she'd probably cry for a bit before she grew a spine and hauled her ass indoors, but after a few more hesitant minutes on my part, it was obvious she wasn't. I couldn't leave her. Even I wasn't _that_heartless, despite what many people might think. Argh! The times I choose to grow a bloody conscience…

I started up the steps, my footsteps sounding heavier than they actually were, but for some reason she didn't notice me.

"Why?" She suddenly asked, and I blinked, momentarily thrown by the random question, wondering who she was talking to. It wasn't me, was it? Was she talking to me?

"Leave me alone! Leave my friends alone! Please!" she shouted and then flinched violently, as though someone unseen had touched her. I moved closer and chose my moment to alert her to my presence.

"Safiya?"

"Alex!" she cried as she spun her head around to face me faster than humanly possible and fixed her gaze on me, her tear-filled amethyst eyes wild with fear.

"Hush, it's ok. It's me." I whispered in what I hoped was a soothing tone, squatting down to her level. Her eyes seemed to clear as she realised who I was.

"K-Kaiba… I-I'm s-sorry…" she choked through her tears, and before I had time to say anything else, she lurched forwards and buried her face in my chest, throwing her arms tightly around my neck, her sobs vibrating through my body. Well. To say I was shocked was an understatement. This was the first time a girl, or actually anyone other than my brother, has ever cried on me. It was unnerving, to say the least, but strangely not unbearable.

Her tears were soaking through my shirt and onto my chest as I lifted her up, for the second time in as many hours, bridal style and turned towards the door. I wasn't patient enough to be bothered to struggle with the door handle, or even ask her for the key, so I threw my shoulder against the door, popping it from its hinges, completely destroying the handle and lock in the process, but luckily she didn't notice, her head still being pressed against my chest, and all.

I strode inside and swung the door shut behind me, making for what appeared to be the living room. Her apartment seemed a little strange to me, for some reason. Sure it was a little on the small side, but it was nice. All clean and homey, like a house should be, but something didn't feel right. It seemed… haunted in some way. But not by ghosts. More like painful dark memories that still roamed the rooms, determined not to be forgotten, screaming for release. Wow. What a cheery metaphor.

I looked down at the figure in my arms and saw that she was now sound asleep, completely wiped out from all the running and crying, not to mention the crap she went through down the alley with the Mutt. Both her hands were gripping handfuls of my trench coat, clutching at me like a frightened child with a blanket. It was pretty cute, actually. Too cute for my liking.

I walked into the front room, sidestepping around the couch and laying her gently down on it, carefully prising her hands from my coat and placing them at her sides before straightening up and looking down at her. I didn't want to feel sorry for her. I've never cared for anyone other than my brother and myself, never have, never will, and yet seeing her looking so pathetic and vulnerable, recent tear tracks drying on her cheeks, hair splayed out in all directions on the cushions, skin littered with deep purple bruises and goosebumps still from the cold… I felt sorry for her. More than sorry. I felt… guilty, for some reason, even though I haven't done anything wrong…

Wait… I _did_ do something wrong. In the classroom at dinner. I took advantage of her like some sick perverted creep. I hadn't done that to her because I had any feelings for her… I did it because I wanted to know what it would be like… What it would feel like… What it would _taste_ like… I_ used_ her. And for what? Curiosity. Me being the goddamn stubborn bastard I am. Shit. I was no better than those bastards in that alley.

A deep growling somewhere around my knees brought me back to earth, and I glanced down to see a beautiful black and white Border Collie bitch, who was looking very pissed off that I wasn't female with purple eyes and long hair. Her eyes were fierce and fiery, a bright shade of hazel, and her lips were curled back from her teeth, baring them at me and snarling threateningly. The meaning was obvious. _'Get the fuck out of here or I'll rip your goddamn balls off.'_Heh. Just like her owner then, eh?

I stepped back from the couch, palms open in surrender. The bitch eyed me curiously and moved towards where her master lay, still snarling a little at me, just in case. Turning her attention back to her owner, she reared up on her back paws and rested her front paws on the couch, bending her head closer to her fallen master's, licking the remainders of the tears from her face. Safiya mumbled softly in her sleep and turned her head slightly but she didn't wake up. The bitch whined and moved back, ears and tail sagging sadly. I reached down without realising and stroked her soft velvety ears comfortingly and she leaned a little against my leg, her gaze focused on the sleeping girl on the couch, as was mine.

Suddenly, I remembered our encounter in the classroom earlier. I remembered what I felt on her back, those cruel deep welts in her skin I had discovered accidentally when I ran my fingers over them, and what the doctor said back in the hospital. My curiosity flared up again like a snake inside me, and I glanced at the sleeping form with new eyes, gleaming with the thrill of possible discovery. Maybe I could take a better look… This was as perfect an opportunity as ever… Maybe if I got close enough…

I stepped closer. The bitch did nothing, except watch me calmly, not expecting any treachery, so I reached out towards the girl, my hands moving to turn her onto her stomach so I could see just how deep her secrets literally ran…

The bitch gave an almost cat-like hiss and leapt forwards, grabbing my sleeve between her sharp teeth and growling at me warningly through the fabric, perhaps sensing my intent. I stopped in my tracks and treated the bitch to the infamous Kaiba glare, but she was as stubborn as I was and didn't back down, instead started to tug at me, pulling me back.

"You know how she got those scars, don't you?" I said, and she relinquished her hold on my sleeve and stared up at me, blinking her hazel eyes freely.

"And you're not going to let me look, are you?"

She growled again, though not as ferociously as before. Wait a minute… I was talking to a dog… and expecting a bloody answer, too! Was I fucking high or something? Jesus Christ, I'm going barking mad. Heh, heh, barking. Har-de-bloody-har.

"Fine." I said, mentally slapping myself to get a goddamn grip, "But I will find out. I promise you that."

The bitch seemed to smile and panted happily, her tail wagging wildly. Great. I was having a bloody conversation with a Border Collie bitch, for fuck sake. I could murder a glass of Scotch right now. Or even something stronger, like maybe a whole bottle of Vodka. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and my mentality was being tested something fierce by this damn dog.

A soft yet shaky sigh came from the parted lips of the girl on the couch and my attention switched back to her. She was still shivering and had pulled her knees up close to her chest for warmth. I glanced at her, and then at the bitch, who was watching me steadily.

Rolling my eyes, I moved closer and took off my coat, wrapping it comfortably around the sleeping girl and then brushed back stray lavender tendrils of hair from her angelic face, feeling another pang in my heart like I had back in the hospital room. She had been through so much shit today it was unbelievable. And then there was me waking up this morning thinking it was going to be another boring, uneventful crappy Friday, as always. Never had I expected that the day would end with me kneeling in front of a girl's couch, watching her sleep soundly after probably the mother of all bad days ever experienced. Renami Safiya was living proof that life is a bitch, out to fuck with all of us.

She was still shivering a little even under my trench coat, so, ignoring the vehemently protesting icy bastard CEO part that made up about 99.9 of me, I gently lifted her up, slid myself in on the couch behind her and laid her back down, so she now had her head resting comfortably on my chest and the rest of her body snug against mine. I wrapped my arms around her to keep her warm and she sleepily snuggled against me, her hands once again gripping fistfuls of my shirt. The bitch gave a soft happy yap and flopped down in front of the couch, sighing contentedly as she stretched out and drifted to sleep.

Safiya's soft hair felt like silk against my face and arms, and though it looked like a tangled mess, when I moved one arm from around her and unconsciously ran my hand through it, her lavender locks gave no resistance to my fingers. Her heartbeat was slow and steady, and her chest rose and fell in time with mine, our breathing practically the same rhythm. It was strangely relaxing.

"I will find out what you're hiding, Renami Safiya," I said, looking down at the sleeping angel in my arms, "You can't keep your secret from me forever. You will break eventually, and when you do, I'll be waiting…"

A smirk slowly spread across my face.

"And then things will become _so_ much more interesting…"

* * *

**Cara: Aww! They're a cuddly on the couch! Kawaii!!**

**Chiyo: And then Kaiba goes and fucks it all up at the end.**

**Cara: Yeah… bastard. Anyways, sorry this chapter was a little short and all, but we were kinda rushing to finish it because we're going on work experience for the next 2 weeks. Oh Joy.**

**Chiyo: Should be fun.**

**Cara: Yeah. Oodles. Please review please! Luv ya!**


	7. Me? A prostitute? WTF!

**Cara: OK! CHAPTER SEVEN IS HERE!!**

**Chiyo: HURRAY!!**

**Cara: (gawps in shock)**

**Chiyo: What?**

**Cara: Why are you so… happy? That's not like you at all. Are you ill, or something?**

**Chiyo: Nope. But we've just managed to survive a WHOLE WEEK OF CRAPPY WORK EXPERIENCE!! THANK THE LORD!!**

**Cara: Yeah, but we've got another week to go.**

**Chiyo: …Thanks a lot.**

**Cara: Sorry! Anyways, on with the story!!**

* * *

Chapter 7:

I woke up alone. Not that that was unusual for me, but for some reason I half expected Kaiba to still be here. If Kaiba had even _been_ here in the first place.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes groggily, squinting through the sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains. Morning, I think. Maybe even early afternoon. I've no idea how long I've been asleep, and that fucking day just seemed to be one of the longest days in history. And one of the worst. I wonder what shit today will throw at me. Well, it can't be any worse than fucking yesterday, can it? Probably, knowing my luck.

I sat up on the sofa, running my hands through my hair which was doing a rather impressive impersonation of a bird's nest. Y'know, back in the hospital, I'd never bothered to ask Kaiba how he'd ended up in that alley. It hadn't occurred to me at the time, but now I think about it, it seemed a little, I don't know… suspicious, maybe? I mean, how much of a coincidence would it be that he just happened to wander down that very alleyway in that very street when his manor is on the opposite side of town? And of all the people he could've rescued in said alleyway just so happened to be the same girl he had molested in a maths classroom earlier that day at lunch? Could it be that Kaiba was actually… involved with what happened? Had he been at that alley to perform his miraculous rescue because he had planned it so? Did he really hate Joey enough to send those bastards there to beat and rape him? Was he really _that_ heartless and cruel? I didn't want to believe he was, but there was no other explanation I could think of that he could possibly come up with that would explain everything. Or that could convince me otherwise.

There was a slight movement at my feet and I glanced over the edge of the sofa to see Gracie stirring from her sleep and stretching out, her jaws opening to an amazing size as she yawned widely and then blinked her amber eyes at me, tongue lolling from her mouth.

"Hey Gracie." I smiled and ruffled her ears. She gave a happy bark and leapt up at me, landing on me and started affectionately attacking my face with her hot pink tongue, licking me to death. I squirmed and struggled beneath her, all traces of sleepiness gone as I laughed hysterically, trying to push her off me.

"Gracie! Hahahaha! Stop it you daft animal! Down girl! Hahahahaha!" I giggled helplessly and she finally stopped her relentless torture and pulled back, gazing at me, her head on one side and her tail wagging furiously behind her. I smiled at her.

"Did you miss me, Sweetie?" I grinned, scratching behind her ears, just how she likes. She whined happily and angled her head a little more to the side so I could dig my fingers deeper into her soft thick fur. Chuckling softly, I looked up at the clock mounted on the wall. 11:08am. Damn, had I really been asleep that long? Wow.

"Hungry?" I asked Gracie, retracting my hands from her fur and pulling myself to my feet, only to feel something I hadn't noticed earlier fall off my body and land in a crumpled heap on the beige carpet at my feet. Puzzled, I looked down. _Kaiba's white trench coat!_ So he had been here after all. I hadn't just imagined it…

Wait a minute. _What the fuck had Kaiba been doing at my house?!_ He'd left the hospital ages before I did! Was he stalking me, or something? How'd he actually get in? And who knows what he did when I was away in fucking Dreamland!! I had been completely and totally unprotected and at my most vulnerable! I'd have been right where he wanted me!! Uh oh, there goes another red line across Kaiba's innocent list. Oh, he was so dead… Just wait 'til I get my hands around his arrogant bastard neck!! I'll fucking kill him!!

"I'll fucking rip his bastard eyes out and make him eat them…" I snarled vehemently, striding angrily around the sofa to the kitchen, making sure to _accidentally_ trample over the coat on my way past, wishing with every fibre of my being that the stuck-up piece of shit was still inside it. Hey, it might've been a little unethical and pointless, but it sure as Hell made me feel better. Slightly.

Storming into the kitchen, still muttering strings of foul curses and death plots for that bastard CEO I hated so passionately, I made for the fridge, but then something caught my attention on the kitchen counter that made me halt in my tracks. _That hadn't been there before…_ I approached it tentatively and my eyes widened at the sight of the white paper bag sitting innocently on the counter, plain as day, waiting to be discovered, the word _Safiya_ written on it in familiar loopy writing. The bag looked pretty familiar too, actually. I'm sure I've seen one of them somewhere before. I think it was that day I was in major PMS mode and I went down the road to that… _Oh my God!_ It wasn't!

I reached forwards and opened the paper bag slightly, peering inside.

Oh it fucking was!! _OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod!!_ Kaiba, I love you so damn much!!

I swear my eyes were the size of bloody dinner plates as I reached into the bag and pulled out the most beautiful and amazing thing in the entire universe… It was one of the biggest doughnuts I'd ever seen in my life!! Oh my God! I _loved _doughnuts!! And this one wasn't just any doughnut, oh no. This was the fucking mother of all doughnuts!! Almost as big as my head, chocolate covered and oozing cream onto my fingers, I felt like all my dreams were coming true! Hell, yeah! Come to Mamma!!

I opened my mouth impossibly wide and took a huge bite of the Heavenly treat in my hands, devouring it like I hadn't eaten for weeks. Well, I hadn't eaten anything since those pizzas yesterday, so I was pretty famished. Only a little, though.

Y'know, it's a bloody wonder how I stay so slim, considering how much junk food and sugary artery-clogging crap I go through every day.

One bite. Two bites. Three bites. Four bites. Five bi- Holy shit! Had I just fucking eaten a doughnut that was about the same size as Kaiba's ego in four-and-a-bit bites? I am _such_ a greedy bitch! But hey, that doughnut had been _sooo_ damn good! Better than sex, even!

…Well, um, not that I would know, me being, uh, inexperienced in that area of expertise, and all… Ok, moving on…

Licking the last flecks of chocolate and cream from my fingers and throwing the paper bag into the bin, I glanced back into the living room, feeling a little guilty about trampling Kaiba's coat underfoot, especially after the best breakfast I've ever eaten which he himself had actually left for me. Gracie stared back at me from her sitting position behind the coat, her hazel eyes unblinking. She bowed her head and picked it up before bringing her gaze back up to meet mine, the coat hanging from her mouth. Slowly, I waked back into the room and bent down on one knee before her, gently prying it from in between her jaws. I looked at the coat in my hands, my face expressionless as I smoothed out a couple of creases in the material with my thumbs.

"Oh, Gracie. What should I do?" I suddenly sighed, my grip tightening on the white trench coat, "I mean, I've always been careful. I've never let anyone close enough to me just in case they discovered my scars. No-one, not even Joey and the guys know about them, except you and me, but ever since Kaiba found out about them yesterday morning, I've had this horrible feeling that he's getting closer and closer to finding out the truth, somehow."

I brought my head up so my amethyst eyes locked with her amber orbs.

"I don't understand him. I don't understand him at all, Gracie. I've always seen him as a self-absorbed, power-hungry robot with no human feelings or emotions, but then yesterday…" I trailed off mid-sentence, bowing my head again so my long locks swung forwards, covering my face behind a curtain of pale lavender. "I just don't know any more."

She whined and nuzzled up close to me, and I threw my arms around her neck, burying my face into her soft thick fur.

"I'm so scared, Gracie. He's back. Alex is back."

Gracie tensed up and growled savagely as the words left my mouth. She knew as well as I did what that bastard was capable of.

"I don't know when he'll actually find us, but it won't be long, since he already knows where we are somehow. And it's not just about us anymore, Gracie. Now he's targeting my friends too." My eyes hardened like shards of ice as I raised my head from Gracie's fur. "But I swear I won't let him hurt them. He's already started with Joey, but I'll do whatever I can to stop that bastard."

I let go of Gracie and rose to my feet, Kaiba's coat still in my grasp.

"I will stop him. Even if it costs me my own life."

* * *

After feeding Gracie, taking a quick shower and pulling on a fresh pair of clothes, it didn't take me long to get the hospital on foot, and when I went inside and into the reception, I got a right bollocking from the receptionist and several doctors and nurses, them being a few of the numerous witnesses that saw me do a runner from the hospital yesterday night. I just grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head, feeling like a complete tool as I apologised for my unacceptable behaviour and quickly excused myself, rushing away to Joey's room with their disapproving eyes practically boring holes into my back.

I sped into Joey's room and shut the door behind me before turning around and squeaking loudly with delight at the wonderful sight I saw before me. A certain blond-haired, toffee-eyed boy with one arm in a sling and bruises covering his the majority of his body raised his head from the book on his lap and his grin practically reached ear from ear when he saw me.

"Hey Ren-" he began, shutting his book and pulling himself to his feet, but he didn't have time to say or do anything else, because I squealed "JOEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!" at the top of my voice and tackled him back onto the bed, laying on top of him and holding him tightly in a rib-crushing embrace, my head buried into his chest as I breathed in his wonderful scent. "You're ok! You're alive!"

"Well, I was the last time I looked." He chuckled, returning my bear hug with equal gusto, kissing my forehead and stroking my hair like I was a little girl. I was so happy it was unbelievable, overjoyed that my abused best friend had finally woken up and was somehow still able to smile, despite everything what had happened to him. I lifted up my head and beamed at him, feeling my heart swell with immeasurable happiness when he responded with that adorable wide grin of his I loved so much.

"I've missed you so much, Joey." I sighed, brushing a few stray strands of golden hair from his bruised face. He gave a soft smile and took hold of my hand on his face, squeezing it gently in his own.

"I've only been out overnight, Rennie."

"I know, but it feels like so much longer." I replied. He laughed softly and wrapped his arms tighter around me before sitting up straight so I was now sat on his lap, still held close to his warm body. In Joey's arms I felt so secure and safe, and I felt that nothing else mattered, nothing else could hurt us, even though I knew too damn well it could at any time. Or should I say _He_ could at any time. I sighed again and my fingers delicately traced around one of the bruises on his unbroken arm that was resting against my own.

"I'm so sorry, Joey. This shouldn't have happened to you. It should've been me." I whispered, unconsciously pulling myself closer to him.

"What're you talking about?" he asked, and I jumped slightly, not expecting him to have heard me. "Why should it have been you? It wasn't your fault."

I moved my head from his chest and turned away, unable to look him in the eye. I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from breaking down into tears, and I didn't want him to see me cry. I'd wasted enough time crying and I wasn't going to start again any time soon. It wasn't fair on him.

"Renami?" I winced when he used my proper name instead of the usual 'Rennie', "Look at me."

I shook my head once, fighting back the tears that had formed in my eyes and were threatening to spill, but his hand reached out and cupped my chin gently, lifting my face back to face him so I had no choice but to meet his honey gaze.

"You weren't responsible for any of this, Rennie. Why are you blaming yourself? If you want to blame anyone, you should blame those bastards that did this to us, yeah?"

Tears slowly began to drip down my cheeks but I hastily wiped them away with the back of my hand as I nodded and he started rocking me gently in his arms, whispering soothing words in my ear as I buried my face deeper into his warm firm chest, inwardly cursing myself for crying. After a few minutes we broke apart again and he wiped the remainders of my tears from my face with his thumbs, and we smiled at each other.

"I… I know what those bastards did to me, Rennie, but please tell me they didn't do the same to you. Please. I don't think I'd be able to bear it if I knew they did to you what they did to me." He said suddenly, his eyes boring deep into mine pleadingly, almost begging me to set him straight from his fears. I laughed softly at his concern for my welfare instead of worrying about his own, which was in a much worse state than mine.

"Shh… It's ok, Joey. They didn't do anything to me. I'm fine now, and more importantly, so are you." I said reassuringly. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew they raped you too."

"No worries, Joey. They didn't hurt me as much as they hurt you, so you just lay back and relax and concentrate on getting better, ok?"

His grin returned as I got up off his knees and placed both my hands firmly on his chest, pushing him back down onto the pillow and pulling his covers up to cover his bruised body, and then I suddenly remembered that I had some unfinished business to attend to and some important questions I wanted answering, one way or another from a certain big-headed self-centred arrogant bastard CEO…

"I gotta go now, Joey. I'm sorry I didn't stay long, but there's something I need to take care of." I apologised. He smiled at me.

"No problem, Rennie. The other guys will probably be here soon, anyway. See ya later babe, yeah?"

"Definitely." I smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead. He chuckled in return and wriggled a little further down in the covers, sighing like a contented cat and succeeding to make me giggle as I turned to leave.

"Are we still on for the movies tonight?" Joey asked as I reached the doorframe. I laughed and looked back over my shoulder at him.

"You betcha. Bye Joey."

"See ya."

I smiled to myself as I left the room, glad that Joey's infectious cheery golden nature hadn't changed one bit since the attack. Shutting the door carefully behind me, I started back down the corridor towards the reception, passing the staff from earlier who still stared after me disapprovingly as I passed them, but I didn't care. Because now my patience and temper where about to be tested to their limits, and I didn't need any unnecessary aggravation before I'd even got there. Yes people, I was about to do the unthinkable. I was going to go straight into the Lion's Den. I was going to KaibaCorp, and Kaiba can get ready for the butt kicking of his lifetime, because I wasn't feeling very merciful today. God help him.

* * *

I'd practically sprinted back to my apartment from the hospital so I could pick up Kaiba's coat, and then I called for a taxi to take me all the way to KaibaCorp. It was quite a lengthy drive since KaibaCorp was on the opposite side of town, but I was pretty surprised at how little the fare cost, considering how far Mr Taxi Driver Man had to drive, but then I noticed him glancing at my legs every now and again through the rear view mirror when he thought I wasn't looking, and I realised why my fare had been half as much as it should've been, but oh well, I wasn't complaining. If it meant me paying less then I was all gravy with the harmless leg-perving that was going on. Just as long as he didn't expect anything else.

"Hey, will you wait here for me?" I asked him as I climbed out of the taxi when we'd reached KaibaCorp, "I shouldn't be too long."

"Sure thing, Sweetheart. I'll be right here." He winked at me. I smiled in return, reaching back into the taxi to grab Kaiba's coat and then turning away and heading towards the skyscraper before me, made of glass and steel which practically screamed "MONEY!!" at me as I walked through the large automatic glass doors. Heh. Pretty neat.

The reception area was very large and a neutral beige colour, numerous leather chairs dotted around the room, accompanying the large asses of God knows how many wealthy businessmen who were all obviously waiting for an audience with the great man himself. Suddenly feeling very small and shabby in the company of so many suits, I unconsciously tightened my grip on Kaiba's coat and headed meekly towards the reception desk, where a pleasant looking red-haired woman sat, flicking through a glossy magazine with a bored expression on her face. She looked up when she heard me approach.

"Hey, Honey. What can I do for you today?" She asked, smiling kindly at me. I returned her smile, albeit a little more shyly.

"I, uh, I want to speak with Seto Kaiba, please." I said, but then I looked around the room, realising that that was what everyone _else_ was here for too, but the difference was that they had appointments, and I didn't. Oops.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, Mister Kaiba is fully booked for today." The redhead receptionist replied apologetically.

"I understand, but this is really urgent. I'm sure he'll want to see me." _He's going to see me anyway whether he likes it or not._

The redhead leaned over her desk a little and looked me up and down. It wasn't in a bad disgusted kinda way, or anything, it was more like she was mildly intrigued. Once satisfied, she sat back and smiled brightly at me.

"I'm sure he would. Well, Mister Kaiba has a ten minute break soon, so I think he'll be able to squeeze you in then, is that ok, Honey?" I smiled at her gratefully.

"That would be great, thank you so much."

"No problem, Darling. Just go through those doors there, down the corridor and take the lift up to the very top floor. His office is up on that level. You can't miss it." She instructed, and I nodded, repeating the directions in my head so I wouldn't forget them later on and end up hopelessly lost in this very, _very_ big building.

I thanked her again and started to weave my way through the crowds of suits towards the doors that led off from the reception area.

"By the way," The receptionist shouted after me when I was halfway across the room, "If it's any consolation, Honey, you've got to be the prettiest prostitute Mister Kaiba has ever hired!"

Oh. My. God.

_Please_ tell me she didn't actually fucking shout _that_ out loud in a room full of the most important businessmen in the world! _Holy shit._

My face turned cherry red as _every fucking person in the room_ looked up from whatever it was that they were doing and focused their gaze on me. I gave an "Eep!" of complete shock and embarrassment before I sprinted out of that room as fast as my legs would carry me, Kaiba's coat flapping along behind me, not stopping until I reached the lift at the end of the corridor. I can't believe she actually thought _I_ was a _prostitute!!_ And for _Kaiba?!_ I felt queasy just thinking about it! Ok, _maybe_ I could've put a longer skirt on, but I didn't exactly choose this miniskirt on _purpose!_ I'd just thrown open my wardrobe and yanked on the first things I saw, which just so happened to be a flared purple miniskirt, a black v-neck top, a black jacket and my black sneakers. Bloody Hell! How the fuck was I supposed to leave now? When I go back down there they'll all think Kaiba and me had just had a quickie in his fucking office!! I am so screwed…

I banged my head repeatedly against the wall in exasperation as the lift doors clanged open and I shot in, pressing the button for the top floor hastily, still mentally reeling. _Me?_ A _prostitute?_ _For Kaiba?_ No fucking way!! How on _earth_ could she think that I'd actually be _willing_ to do anything like that with _him_ of all people?! _Ewww!!_

As the lift began to ascend, I felt my face with my free hand, and my cheeks were hot enough to boil a Goddamn egg on them. Heh. No fucking wonder! _Me?_ A _prostitute?_ _Me?_ _How can I be a fucking bastard prostitute? I'm still a fucking VIRGIN, for fuck sake!!_

The trip in the lift was pretty quick, considering how tall KaibaCorp was, but sooner than I would've liked the lift doors opened again and I stepped out into another corridor, which was a cool mint green colour, with a desk similar to the one downstairs at the end, near a large grand-looking solid oak door with a plaque of gold which the words 'SETO KAIBA' engraved into the metal. I gulped, banishing my nauseating embarrassment to the back of my mind and walked swiftly down towards the desk.

I could tell, just at a glance, that the woman sat behind the desk, his secretary, I would've imagined, impatiently filing her nails into sawdust, would be nothing like the well-meaning (yet painfully cringe-worthy when it came to shouting out about your nocturnal habits in a room full of bastard billionaires) redhead downstairs. Nope. No way. This woman was stick thin and looked like she'd been Tangoed or something, judging by how her skin was practically glow in the dark orange from fake tan, no doubt. Her face was heavily made-up and her long bleached blonde hair was coiled up on the top of her head in a large bun. She might've been pretty, if it wasn't for the permanent scowl on her powdered face. She made my blood boil just looking at her.

The secretary looked up when I reached the desk and, if anything, her scowl deepened further and she narrowed her mud-brown eyes at me.

"Yes? What do you want?" she asked in a sharp, pissed off tone. I raised my eyebrows at her without realising, wondering what the fuck had crawled up her ass and died, but then I remembered my manners.

"Um, I'm here to see Seto Kaiba, please."

She gave a small mocking chuckle, making my anger level rise another couple of notches. Unluckily for her, it had been too dangerously close to the surface lately, but she obviously didn't know that.

"Well, obviously! Isn't that what everyone else is here for?" she cackled, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, no."

Kaiba's bitch of a secretary raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me, still grating her viciously pointed talons into dust on that bastard nail file in her hand.

"Mister Kaiba has a very busy schedule, Miss, and lots of important wealthy businessmen have waited months just to get appointments with him. You just can't come in and demand to see him whenever you want."

I ground my teeth together angrily, clenching my hands into fists at my sides to stop myself grabbing handfuls of her peroxide blonde hair and ripping it out as painfully as I could.

"It's important." I spat, barely containing the loathing in my voice. The secretary gave a false tinkly laugh that nearly pierced my eardrums it was that high pitched.

"I don't doubt that, but what you think is important and what Mister Kaiba thinks is important are two very different things. If you leave a message with me, I'll make sure he gets it as soon as possible." Yeah, like Hell you would. Y'know, my temper had been tested so much over the past few days, and my anger level was continuing to rise rapidly. I was all set to erupt like a fucking volcano. I'd tried asking her nicely, but obviously that just didn't quite cut it. Well then. Time for an entirely different approach, I think.

Her eyes barely had time to widen in surprise when I hissed angrily and grabbed her by the collar of her blouse with my coat-free hand, pulling her forwards.

"You fucking tell him I want to talk with him _now_, or I'll just press that Goddamn intercom button over there with your bastard _face_, got it?!" Fuck me. You can tell I've spent _way_ too much time with Marik and Bakura, can't you? Hey, it might've been crude and a little bit, I dunno, In-Your-Face, but it sure as Hell worked wonders, because she gulped loudly, all bravado and bitchiness gone, and reached over to press the intercom.

"M-Mister Kaiba?" she stammered into the microphone.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturbed, Charlene." Kaiba's cold voice answered almost instantly, sounding as pissed off as I felt. Charlene's eyes flicked back to me and I narrowed my eyes pointedly.

"I-I know what you said, but there's someone here to see you, Sir."

"I don't care. If they don't have an appointment, get rid of them." Kaiba responded. I snarled furiously and dropped his coat, using my now free hand to grab hold of the microphone so hard I nearly ripped it from the desk.

"I'M NOT FUCKING GOING ANYWHERE, YOU EGOTISTICAL PIECE OF SHIT!!" I screamed, my voice echoing loudly around the otherwise silent hallway. There was silence for a moment when the echoes of my voice dissipated from the air, until it was broken by icy laughter from the other end of the intercom.

"Safiya. What a pleasant surprise. I suppose you better come in." He chuckled and turned off the intercom. I let go of the microphone and forced myself to calm down a little, smoothing my skirt in my hands before I bent down and picked up Kaiba's coat again from the mint green carpet. I looked back up to see Charlene gawping at me with pure terror, like I was some kind of homicidal maniac or something, so I flashed her a winning smile, said thanks and skipped merrily past her desk to the doors of Kaiba's office.

I knocked once. Only once. And then I flung the door open, not waiting to be invited in. Kaiba's office was large, the colour a deep rich burgundy and dark mahogany furniture. Kaiba himself was sat at his desk in the middle of the room, a glass of what looked a lot like Scotch in his hand, placing the bottle from which the drink came back onto the top of his desk as he looked up at me, his icy cobalt eyes trained on mine with what appeared to be mild amusement at the manner in which I entered the room. Like a fucking steam train, I think.

I slammed the door shut behind me and strode up to his desk so I was directly in front of him and glared at him.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**Cara: Would you say that's another cliffy?**

**Chiyo: Probably.**

**Cara: Hey, you guys are gonna LOVE the next chapter! Because everyone knows that heated discussions in secluded offices NEVER go down well!! MWAHAHAHA!!**

**Chiyo: (cough) freak (cough)**

**Cara: Please review please!! Luv ya all!!**


	8. Heated Discussions in Secluded Offices

**Cara: Sorry we left you hanging, but we're back now with chappie 8! Woot!**

**Chiyo: Yeah. Woot.**

**Cara: Ok, I'm just gonna put a disclaimer in here, cos I haven't put one in for a few chapters and I just wanna remind you that we don't own YuGiOh, and we don't own Cineworld, either.**

**Chiyo: Or Revels, or Malteasers, or Pepsi, or Fanta, or Minstrels, or...**

**Cara: Ok, ok! They get it! We don't own ANYTHING!! Sheesh!**

**Chiyo: Whatever. Please read and review! Ta.**

* * *

Chapter 8:

"I knew you'd come here." Kaiba said, practically ignoring me as he raised the glass and tipped it to his lips, swallowing a generous amount of the brown liquid that resided in it. It was pretty strong smelling. The drink I mean. I could smell it from where I was stood a few feet in front of him. Obviously alcohol. Scotch, I think. And it did actually smell really rather nice.

"Oh, really? And did you also know that the only reason I've come up here is just so I could get the satisfaction of shoving my foot so far up your ass that you'll still be able to feel it next week?" I snarled in reply, fists clenching. His azure eyes flicked back up and his cold gaze met mine. And then he smirked, which of course made me want to throttle him right there and then.

I glared at him for a few seconds, seething with the previous anger at that bitch Charlene which had suddenly resurfaced with just one smirk from Kaiba, until I remembered what I still held in my grip.

"Yours, I believe." I said, trying to contain my anger as I held out the white coat to Kaiba. He moved his gaze from mine, to his coat in my hands and then back up to me, that familiar infuriating smirk spreading wider across his face. He placed his glass back onto the top of his desk and stood up, walking around it and standing to face me, his icy eyes boring deep into mine. This constant staring was really starting to unnerve me something fierce, but I held his gaze, throwing the coat back to its owner, who caught it easily, almost deftly without even blinking and then put it back in its rightful place: On his body.

"You said we needed to talk, so talk. I haven't got all day. There are some of the richest successful businessmen in the world waiting downstairs and I have a schedule to keep." He said, folding his arms across his chest impatiently.

I folded mine likewise.

"I want to know what happened yesterday, Kaiba, and I'm not leaving until you tell me everything. I want to know what happened last night. I want to know how you got into my flat and why you actually followed me back there in the first place when you left the hospital ages before I did. I want to know why you were still in the hospital when I woke up and why you were the person I woke up to. I want to know how you ended up down that alley at the exact perfect moment to perform your miraculous rescue. I want to know why you agreed to face me at basketball and then kissed me in that classroom at lunch." I said, my voice shaking a little with my rapidly failing attempts at keeping my growing fury on a leash. Kaiba just kept on staring at me impassively. "And I want to know why you're so obsessed with my scars." I finished, unconsciously wrapping my arms around myself tighter in a defensive, almost protective embrace, wincing a little when my hands accidentally pressed harder against my painfully bruised skin. Kaiba's smirk widened, if possible, even more than it already had.

"Is that it? That's all you wanted to know?" He chuckled and shook his head, seemingly amused. "Pathetic."

"WHAT did you just call me?!"

"You heard me, Safiya. Or are you deaf too?"

I growled furiously, fully pissed off at him for getting so deep under my skin so early in the conversation. I mean, I hadn't even been in his bastard office for five fucking minutes, and he was already on my last nerve. I so badly wanted to wipe that smirk off his face as soon as possible, at the first chance I got. Preferably with something extremely sharp and excruciatingly painful.

"Fuck you." I hissed, making a mental list of the most evil, creative ways I could kill the bastard in front of me, as a reference for later.

"Sorry, you're not my type." Kaiba responded dryly and I blinked, momentarily thrown by this random comment. And then I realised what he meant.

"What the fuck?!" I cried, unable to stop the blush creeping across my cheeks as I unintentionally remembered the toe-curling embarrassment I'd had to endure down in the reception mere moments ago. "Oh no. Don't even _think_ about going there. I am _so_ not in the mood." And then I smirked. "And I'm sorry to tell you, Kaiba, that I actually _have_ standards, unlike _some_."

He narrowed his eyes.

"And what's that supposed to mean, Safiya?"

"At least I don't have to pay someone to get laid." I snorted, sneering up at him. Ouch. That was below the belt, even by my standards. But it felt _sooo_ good just to watch that smirk disappear from his face faster than Yugi eating a burger. And trust me, that's pretty damn fast. "Oh, speechless now, are we? Yes, I know all about your dirty little secret, Kaiba. I've heard all about how you spend your free time and spare cash. If anyone's pathetic, it sure as Hell ain't me. It's you."

He glared down at me some more, his lip curling slightly in disgust and loathing.

"Are you sure about that, Safiya? Look at all I've achieved, all I have, all I control. I am the most powerful businessman in the world and I'm still a mere teenager. I am aspired after, lusted after, people throw themselves at my feet and obey my every command, cater to my every need. I have everything I could ever dream of having. And what do you have, Safiya? Apart from a dog, scars and a secret shadowed past?"

I dropped my gaze, the first time in his presence today I actually felt humble before him.

"You're right Kaiba. I don't have as many things as I want, and certainly nowhere near as many things as you have. You're living life like a King, and to everyone else it seems that you're at the very top of the league, leading the perfect life. But they're wrong." I looked up at him again, my amethyst orbs trained hard on his cobalt ones as he raised an eyebrow at me, looking mildly surprised. "They're wrong and you know it. You don't have everything, and you're life isn't as perfect as you let everyone else believe. There's something missing. Don't bother denying it. You know I'm right."

His smirk started to return and he gave an emotionless chuckle, obviously amused at what I was saying, but I could tell he was curious, even behind his icy façade.

"Ok, then. What is this I'm supposedly missing?"

"Emotions, Kaiba. Anger, Sadness, Joy, Love… You have none whatsoever! You're just an icy, selfish prick! Talking to you is like fucking talking to a block of ice. In fact, a block of ice shows more fucking life than you ever could! You march around everywhere and your face never changes from that one deadpan expression! All you care about is money and power, and I bet you've never interacted with another human being without sneering down at them or glaring at them!! That's what you're missing, Kaiba. And that's what you need. Y'know, I really think you could actually be a decent person if you just tried for once, Kaiba, instead of acting high-and-mighty and cold all the time. If you don't then you'll just end up alone for the rest of your life, and I can see you don't want that, do you?"

My chest was heaving by the time I'd finished that little outburst because I hadn't taken many breaths beforehand and I had been so keen, almost desperate, to get my point across. I wanted him to know how me and every other person in the world saw him, just so he could see how much he pisses people off on a regular basis. I wanted him to understand.

Kaiba's face was still stony and emotionless, so I had no idea if any of my words had penetrated his thick skull, and he continued to glare at me with those cold cerulean eyes of his. And I glared straight back.

"What do you know?" he said suddenly, scowling slightly, "What the fuck do you know? You know nothing about me, and yet you seem to think you do. Emotions? Emotions make people weak, and that's something I cannot afford."

"Emotions don't make people –"

"Don't kid yourself. Yes they do make people weak, and you're living proof, Safiya."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked incredulously, wondering what he was trying to get at. _What did he mean by that?_

"What do you think I'm talking about?" He replied icily, sneering down at me, "Emotions are what got you into this mess."

"What mess? I don't –"

"You're scars. No doubt it was your precious 'emotions' that had something to do with how you got them. You can't hide it from me, Safiya. I can see it in your eyes."

I broke our fierce glaring match as I turned my head to the side, staring down at the burgundy carpeted floor instead of allowing myself to be dragged deeper into those freezing sapphire depths. He was right, of course, even if he didn't realise just how much. Emotions had played one Hell of a part in what happened to me, and sure, it had changed me somewhat, but I wasn't weak. No way.

"Do you know how dangerously close you are to being castrated in the most creative and painful way possible, Kaiba?" I snarled vehemently, still not looking at him. "I am _not_ weak. And my emotions don't make me weak." I looked back up at him, my eyes blazing, "They make me _human_."

Kaiba snorted at that and turned his back on me, reaching for his long forgotten drink on his desk and took several mouthfuls whilst I continued to stare acidly at his back, waiting for him to reply with one of the many cutting comebacks at his disposal or kick me out of his office, or whatever. Either way, I wasn't leaving without a fight. Or answers.

"Who wants to be human?" He chuckled dryly, more to himself than me, swigging his booze.

"You do." I said. He turned back to face me, his eyes glaring into mine with more ferocity than the fires of Hell.

"You know nothing about what I want. " He hissed, the smallest flicker of anger barely visible in his cerulean eyes.

"I don't want to know what you want." I replied, my temper rising as well. I don't know what it is with this guy. I seemed to be more vicious and angry when I was around him, and every moment we locked eyes, I felt like murdering him. Doubtless he felt the same way too, judging by the waves of hatred radiating from his cobalt orbs at me.

"What do you want?"

"I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU!! I JUST WANT ANSWERS, KAIBA!!" I shouted furiously, my anger rising to newfound levels I didn't even know I could reach. He glared at me coldly.

"What makes you think I would answer your questions, when you seem incapable of answering mine."

"Which are?"

"How did you get those scars?"

"Oh for fuck _sake_…" I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Brilliant. We'd gone right back to square bloody one. And he was really starting to piss me off now. Ok, pissing me off more than he already had.

"If you won't tell me what happened, Safiya, I'll just have to find out for myself."

I looked back up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, well. Good luck with that, because you're so not gonna find out from me." I replied, tossing my long lavender locks back over my shoulder as he continued to glare me to death. There was no way on earth he could ever find out how I got my scars, because only me and two other people knew about them. One was a Border Collie bitch, so I highly doubt Kaiba's gonna get it out of her, unless he speaks dog, or something, and the other was the bastard who _caused_ them, and who had evidently come back to cause more, be it to me or to my friends.

"Show me." Kaiba said, interrupting my train of thought.

"Huh?"

"Show me." He repeated, and I understood what he meant this time. My scars. He wanted to see them. Huh, like fuck I'm gonna show him. I'd sooner throw myself out of one of the huge windows that surrounded half his office than show him anything.

"I don't think so." I said, and turned my back to him, heading for the door. It was obvious that it had been a complete waste of time me coming up here. Getting answers from Kaiba was like getting blood from a stone, but then again I guess I already knew that. "I'll let myself out."

Because my back was turned, I didn't notice his eyes flash dangerously, and before I had chance to even draw in breath, he grabbed me and threw me back so I landed heavily onto the top of his desk. Stars erupted in front of my eyes when my head slammed against the polished wood, and one of my flailing arms collided with the abandoned bottle of Scotch, knocking it and several other glasses crashing to the floor, splashing their brown liquid contents all over the carpet, but neither me nor Kaiba noticed. He was stood before me, my legs unwillingly forced to either side of his body as he lurched forwards and grabbed both my wrists, pinning them non too gently against his desk, pressing down hard on my bruises, the expression on his face one I'd never seen before, and it was scaring me shitless.

"Kaiba!! Let me go, you fucking crazy bastard!!" I screamed, thrashing and writhing beneath him in a desperate struggle to free myself from his painful grasp. I'd no idea what the fuck he was trying to do, but I could guarantee you it wouldn't be something I'd like.

"Shut it, Safiya!! If you won't cooperate then I'll have to see for myself just what you're hiding!!" He snarled in reply, tearing my black jacket from my body and tossing it to one side before transferring both my wrists into one hand, grabbing the hem of my shirt with his now free hand, and I suddenly realised what the bastard was trying to do. _No fucking way, asshole!_

"Go fuck yourself!!" I hollered, doubling my attempts to get away, twisting and squirming, trying to wrench my arms free, but he held on tightly, his grip like steel. _How the Hell can he be so damn strong?!_

The dickhead just ignored my shouting and struggling and continued the task of ripping my shirt over my head in his desperation to get a good look at my scars.

"FUCK OFF!!" I roared so loud my voice almost cracked the windows, and I actually managed to kick Kaiba quite solidly in the small of his back, which must've hurt like a mother, but he barely blinked. By some miracle he'd actually succeeded in pulling my shirt almost all the way up to my chin, baring my bra to the world, and I would've smacked him if I'd been able to when I noticed his eyes kinda lingered there a moment before he tried forcing the rest of my top over my head. I could see I was fighting a losing battle because there wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell that I was going to be able to force him off me, but that didn't mean I was going to give up.

"Kaiba! Please stop this! Let go of me! Please!!" I cried in a final attempt at appealing to the sane side of him that had vanished someplace unknown in the last couple of seconds, but he just continued to strip me of my clothing. My shirt was halfway up my face. Just another tug and it'd be completely free of my body…

And then the office doors flew open with a bang, both me and Kaiba swiftly switching our attention to the opposite end of the office, where his blonde secretary Charlene stood, her jaw practically resting on the carpet and her eyes as wide as dinner plates at the scene before her. Well, I could hardly blame her. The position we were in looked _very_ compromising indeed, and if I was her, I would've jumped _straight_ to the very same conclusion that she obviously had. But me and Kaiba? In _that_ way? That's just…. _Eww!_

He sprang back from me as though burnt, probably thinking the same thing as I was, and I quickly pulled my shirt back down to conserve the little dignity I had left as I pulled myself up from the desk, rubbing my sore wrists and glaring daggers at Kaiba, who looked like he'd just had a bucket of cold water thrown over him. Charlene was still gaping at us, her gaze flicking from me to him and then back to me again.

"W-what the-?" she gasped in shock, looking as though she was about to have a heart attack or something.

_"What the fuck is wrong with you, Kaiba?!"_ I hissed, ignoring his gob smacked secretary as I took deep steady breaths to try and calm myself. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I jumped off Kaiba's desk, fists clenched, ready to punch his lights out. I could not believe what he'd just done! Had he fucking lost his mind?!

"We'll finish this talk later, Safiya." Kaiba said, his icy demeanour back in check, straightening his trench coat at the same time as casually avoiding my rage-filled gaze.

"No we fucking won't, Kaiba!" I snarled, my anger still very much alive and kicking, and drew back my fist. Charlene let out a strangled cry as she guessed what I was about to do, and Kaiba turned quickly, but not quick enough. My fist connected solidly with the side of his head, sending him staggering backwards, his eyes wide with more astonishment than pain. My blow hadn't been that powerful, but it had been hard enough to show him I meant business and I wasn't going to stand around and let him piss me about any more.

I spun on my heel and stormed past Charlene and through the still open door without looking back, pausing only to stoop down and pick up my jacket. I couldn't deny it. What Kaiba had done back there had really shook me up something fierce. I mean, seeing him lose control like that, seeing him actually going to such extreme measures when I was so used to his snide remarks and icy glares, it really made me wonder why he was so bothered about it. About me. Well, not so much me, more like the scars that resided on me. But what it really made me wonder was just how human can Kaiba get? I mean, if that little incident was anything to go by, I wasn't really sure if I actually _wanted_ to find out…

* * *

"A CAT scan! That's what he fucking needs! He's _insane!!_ That stupid, arrogant, overconfident, bigheaded, money-hungry, anal retentive, no-good son of a bitch! I hate him! I hate him so damn much! If he were here right now I swear I'd fucking rip his Goddamn head off!! That bastard!!"

That was only a small section of my incredibly long heated rant about _You-Know-Who_, and I'll give you a clue: it ain't Voldemort. I had absolutely no idea how long I'd been going on for, but I'm guessing it had been a pretty long time. A couple hours, at least.

I was back at my apartment by now, obviously, because even I in my enraged state wouldn't wander through the streets ranting and raving. Ok, maybe I would, but that's not the point. Gracie was laid on my sofa, her head resting on her front paws as her hazel eyes followed me tiredly, watching me pace angrily in front her, yelling various insults and death threats, completely livid with fury. She was pretty fed up, but wisely kept out of my way.

I paused halfway through a pretty brutal murder plot (something involving genital mutilation and other painful illegal procedures too bloody and mentally scarring to mention) when I heard the kettle boil, so I stormed into the kitchen to make myself a coffee. I figured a coffee might calm me down a little, but I very much doubt it would. Gracie had followed me into the kitchen, big amber eyes staring up at me as I banged my coffee mug down on the counter when I pulled it from the cupboard above. I looked down at her, and automatically my eyes softened and my rage level dropped down a few notches. Heh. Pretty eyes. The best cure for anything, I think.

Sighing, I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around her soft body, hugging her close.

"Sorry about all that, Gracie. He just pisses me off so much." I murmured through a faceful of silky fur, breathing in her unusual flowery scent. Hey, it's unusual for a dog, I mean, most dogs smell like mud or wet blankets, y'know?

Gracie gave a soft yap and turned her head a little so she could affectionately lick the side of my face, making me giggle. I glanced up over her shoulder. It was just starting to get dark outside, so the sky was a beautiful shade of pink and orange surrounding the gradually setting sun. Letting go of Gracie, I rose and we both made our way to the window, where I opened it and she reared up on her back paws so she too could see through it. The calm breeze was soft and gentle, sending my lavender waves dancing ever so slightly around my face. It was so relaxing I actually closed my eyes and leaned forwards a little further, relishing the wonderful tranquillity of the evening air. Beautiful. Y'know, it's times like these where you really start to appreciate nature…

And then the phone started screaming, making me and Gracie jump a mile and causing me to bang the back of my head rather hard on the window frame.

"Holy…" I swore, clutching my head as I drew away from the window, "Son of a…"

I snatched the phone up, pausing just a moment before answering it.

_"If this is Kaiba…"_ I mouthed to Gracie, and then pressed the big green button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rennie!" That sweet, cheerful voice I knew so well answered, the sound filling my kitchen like a ray of sunshine.

"Hey Yugi, what's up?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. Ouch. There is definitely gonna be a bruise there in the morning.

"Just ringing to tell you what time we're going to the movies tonight, remember? Joey said he'd reminded you earlier at the hospital."

Oh. Yeah. The movies. Well, if there was one thing that could cheer me up, it would definitely be spending a few hours with those idiots I call my best friends!

"Yeah, he told me. So, what time then?"

"We're all gonna meet outside Cineworld in about an hour or so, is that ok?"

"That's fine." I replied, before suddenly noticing just how much background noise was coming from Yugi's end of the line. "Hey, where are you? It sounds like there's a war going on down there."

Yugi chuckled.

"Oh, I'm at the Mall with Yami and Joey. Joey's busy trying on jeans, and Yami's stuck deciding which collar he likes best."

"So Joey's out of hospital now then?"

"Yeah, he was discharged about one-ish. Me and Yami took him with us because we'd been visiting him when the Doc gave him the all clear. Ryou and the others visited him earlier, not long after you left."

"How is he?"

"He's fine. Great, in fact. He's just finding it a bit difficult to pull on his jeans with one arm in a sling!" Yugi laughed. I smiled.

"I'll bet. Any idea what we're going to see?"

"Not a clue. We'll make up our minds when we get there."

"AIBOU!!" came a distant shout from somewhere in the background, "Come here! I can't choose!"

"I can't! I'm on the phone!" Yugi shouted back across the din.

"So? I can't decide between the one with the studs and the one with the skulls! HELP ME!!"

"You'll have to _wait_, Yami! I'm talking to Renami!" Yugi sighed in exasperation and I giggled softly.

"Sorry about that, Rennie."

"No worries, Yug. I'm gonna have to go now if you want me to meet you guys there in an hour."

"You're telling me. I know how long it takes you to get ready."

"Oi! I'm not that bad!"

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yeah, you –"

"YUGI!!" Yami yelled, thankfully interrupting our pantomime routine. Me and Yugi laughed.

"Ok then, I better go now. See ya in a bit, Yug."

"Bye, Rennie."

"Oh, and Yugi… Tell Yami: Studs."

"Will do! Bye!"

"See ya." I smiled and hung up. Y'know, it's pretty amazing how one short phone call can cheer you up, isn't it? After hanging up, all I felt like doing was smiling. It was weird, but then again Yugi had some sort of talent for that kinda thing. Making me smile, I mean. One glimpse of those huge innocent violet orbs or one sweet laugh from his lips and you felt like the happiest you've ever been. Well, I did anyway, I'm not sure about anyone else.

Aibou… That's what Yami called him. I've never heard him call Yugi that before, and I must admit, the name did kinda suit him. It's sort of… a pet name. Like Marik calls Malik 'Malik-Pretty', and I'm sure Bakura's got a pet name for Ryou, too. I had a pet name. Once. A long time ago. 'Kitten', he called me…

But Yami giving Yugi a pet name is great!! I mean, this could be the start of something between them! Maybe Yami really _does_ like Yugi in that way! After years of lusting after him, Yugi will _finally_ get to sink his teeth into that gorgeous hunk of leather-coated, spiky haired sex God! (Hey, I'm not gonna lie: Yami is gorgeous. Pure fucking gorgeous. And everyone knows it, so if I want to call him a sex God, I shall, because he is.) Yay! Yay for Yugi! Yay for Yami! Yay for Yami and Yugi! Oh my God! I'm so happy for them both!

Gracie brought me back to earth as she gave a small yap and sat herself at my feet, her tongue lolling from her mouth and her tail thumping against the floor as she wagged it happily. I smiled at her and reached down to stroke her ears.

"Maybe we'll find true love someday, too, eh?" I said softly, burying my fingers into her thick fur. "Though I hope not. I'm not making _that_ mistake _ever_ again!"

* * *

"Renami! Over here! Hey, Rennie!" Yugi shouted, waving frantically at me from where he stood with the others in front of Cineworld. I smiled and returned his wave just as frantically as I crossed the road to get to them. It had turned pretty cold out, so I'd had the sense to grab my black jacket before I'd left my apartment, but obviously the guys hadn't been so smart. Marik and Bakura especially. Marik was wearing a black sleeveless tank and tight leather trousers, trying his damn hardest not to shiver in front of the others, as was Bakura in his thin blue and white striped shirt and a pair of leather pants of his own. Their lovers had been more practical, with Ryou in a warm looking jumper and jeans, and Malik with a jacket pulled over his own pale purple shirt and dark trousers. Yami and Yugi stood side by side, both clad in leather pants and dark shirts and jackets, though Yugi's shirt was plain and Yami's was covered in numerous buckles and chains. Joey was in his tight jeans, dark red shirt and his trusty leather jacket, leaning against the wall looking as battered and bruised as he had this morning, his arm in a bright white sling.

A sudden blast of cold wind rushed past me, making me shiver slightly and pull my jacket closer around myself. I was so glad I'd decided not to put a skirt on, because that damn wind would've been ten times more unbearable than it already was. I'd swapped my mini and v-neck for my dark jeans and a deep purple off-shoulder clingy dress top thing that was just about the exact same colour as my eyes, which just happened to be outlined with the usual amount of Kohl, as was everyone else's. Seriously. Every single one of us was wearing Kohl. Even Ryou.

They all grinned at me widely as I approached them, and I grinned back, doing the 'Rock On' sign with my right hand, which they all returned.

"Hey, guys."

"What took you so long, Rennie? We've been waiting here ages." Bakura said, wrapping his arms tightly around Ryou's waist, trying to keep warm without looking suspicious.

"What're you on about? Ages? I'm only ten minutes late, for God sake!" I retorted, flipping my hair over my shoulder with a shiver.

"Yeah, we all know how long it takes Renami to get ready." Yugi said with a roll of his large violet eyes. They laughed and I pointed at him warningly.

"Don't you start that again, Little Yugi, or I might just tell them exactly _how_ you get your hair to stay up like it does."

"You wouldn't!" Yugi gasped in horror, recoiling with a step back. I grinned wolfishly.

"Try me."

He shut up pretty quick then, and I laughed and pulled him into a tight hug, ruffling his shocking crop of purple spikes affectionately as he giggled and squirmed in my grip. Because he was quite short, his face was kinda buried straight in the middle of my cleavage, so I had to let go of him sharpish or he'd probably suffocate, and _that_ wouldn't have gone down well with his Grandpa, that's for sure!

I released him and he took a huge lungful of air as we stepped apart, and I chuckled before noticing Marik barely conceal a shiver as the wind rushed around him mercilessly.

"What's up, Marik? You cold?" I taunted, and he half-glared at me.

"No!" He retorted. I smiled.

"You sure? You look pretty cold to me."

Marik growled. Malik heard and took pity on his lover.

"C'mon you guys, why are we standing around out here? Lets get inside." He said, taking hold of Marik's hand and pulling him in out of the cold and through the big double doors, closely followed by Ryou and Bakura, then Yami and Yugi, and finally me and Joey bringing up the rear.

"How you doing, Joey?" I asked, ducking under his arm as he held the door open for us. He gave a shrug.

"Not bad, I suppose. I still feel like I've been in a fight with a double-decker bus, though, but I'm doing ok." He said, and I threw my arms around his waist, hugging him.

"Good." I smiled up at my battered best friend and let go.

"What're we watching?" Ryou asked, directing that question to all seven of us as he stared up at the board above the ticket desk that listed all the films being shown today. We looked also.

"Sweeney Todd?" Malik said, and Yugi and Ryou blanched.

"No way! Blood and gore and crap! Hell no!" We shrugged, abandoning that idea, and turned back to the board.

"Made of Honor?"

"Crap."

"Speed Racer?"

"Nope."

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall?"

"Get bent."

"The Forbidden Kingdom?"

"You cannot be serious."

"How about Iron Man?" I suggested. They paused, contemplating.

"Yeah, that'll do. I'm up for Iron Man." Bakura agreed. The others nodded.

"Iron Man it is then." Joey said, and he marched up to the counter to order the tickets. I looked around the room absently, and suddenly noticed just how many dirty looks I was getting. Seriously! Practically all the teenage girls dotted around were glaring daggers right at me! But then again, I was the only girl in our gang, and I just so happened to be surrounded by seven of the best-looking guys ever to walk the planet, but that was no excuse! So, feeling devious, I flashed them my brightest winning smile and put my arms around Yami, just to piss them off.

"What're you doing, Rennie?" he asked, looking a little taken aback.

"Pissing off the locals." I whispered with a smirk, which was returned and he put his arms around me too. Yugi was busy stifling his giggles beside us, for he too had noticed just how much attention our little gang of freaks was getting, and he knew I was hamming it up just for a reaction.

Joey walked back over to us, tickets in hand.

"Screen seven. Iron Man starts in about five minutes, so we best get our seats quick." He said, and we set off in direction of screen seven, strolling past the food counter on our way. I paused a second.

"Hey, do you guys want anything to eat? I'll pay." I asked. I deeply regretted that a few moments later when I was being served by the quite decent looking blond-haired guy at the counter, struggling to remember the endless list of desired grub.

"Um, two large popcorn, one salt, one sweet, three regular Pepsi, one regular Fanta, three hotdogs, two with ketchup and one without, four bags of Revels, five bags of Minstrels, a bag of Malteasers and two blue Slushes, please." I reeled off, wondering how the Hell I was going to carry all this back to wherever it was my guys had decided to sit.

"Is that all?" the blond guy asked with slightly raised eyebrows as his colleague rushed around behind him, filling up drinks and shovelling popcorn into large packets before putting them on the counter for me.

"I bloody well hope so." I smiled, starting to gather up the food and drink in my arms when something small and soft collided with my hip, startling me and sending whatever it was toppling to the floor in a hailstorm of popcorn. I spun around quick to see a poor kid lying on the carpet, his dark indigo eyes wide and popcorn clinging to practically every strand of his long blue-tinted black hair.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I cried, falling to my knees and grabbing hold of the kid's hands, pulling him back to his feet. He shook his head, a little dazed, sending popcorn flying for freedom from his long tresses.

"It wasn't your fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." He said, gazing up at me apologetically. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

I smiled, thinking _"Aww, Bless,"_ as I was met with the full force of those wide bambi eyes that just melted me right there and then. This kid was _so_ adorable!

"You didn't hurt me, Sweetie, I'm more worried about if _I_ hurt _you_. That was a pretty hard fall you took." I said, helping him pick the popcorn from his hair. He smiled at me and then looked down at the floor sadly.

"I spilt my popcorn." He said mournfully, and I ruffled his hair.

"No worries, Kid, I'll buy you some more, yeah?"

"Really? You will?" He cried happily, returning his gaze to me. I nodded, smiling. "Wow! Thanks, pretty purple lady!"

Pretty Purple Lady? Aww! How sweet!

So I bought him another large popcorn and he offered to help me carry some of my overflowing armfuls of food, so I let him carry the ten bags of chocolate in his free hand as he clutched his refilled popcorn to his chest, determined not to make the same mistake twice.

"So, what's your name, Kiddo?" I asked as we walked away from the counter, leaving the blond to clean up the popcorn we'd left in our wake.

"Mokuba." He said, gazing up at me like I was some kind of queen, or something.

"Hey, Mokuba. I'm Renami." I said. Mokuba smiled.

"That's a pretty name." He said.

"Are you here with anyone, Mokuba? Or are you on your own?" I hope he wasn't here on his own. These parts can be pretty dangerous at night. And I should know…

"I'm here with my big brother! I begged him to come with me to watch Iron Man!" Mokuba said brightly.

"Really? Me and my friends are here to see Iron Man, too!" I smiled, hoping this older brother of Mokuba's looked exactly like him but was much older, say about seventeen. Hey, I can dream can't I?

"Really? Wow! Oh, do you want to meet my big brother? I'll tell him that you bought me some more popcorn!" Mokuba beamed, gazing at me with those eyes warm enough to melt steel. I felt like saying yes to anything he asked.

"Sure, whatever." I smiled in return and we headed through the door of screen seven. It was quite dark inside, the only source of light coming from the huge screen, showing adverts about mobile phones before the movie started. Through the darkness, I noticed two familiar crops of wild spiky hair sat near the front. No prizes for guessing whose hair it was.

"Big brother! Big brother! I got the food, big brother! Look, and this pretty purple lady helped me." Mokuba gushed, tugging me forwards by the sleeve of my jacket towards the row at the very back where a single person sat, his face hidden in the shadows.

"Heya…" I began, and then as if on cue, the screen lit up with a fresh advert, illuminating the previously hidden face before me and cold cobalt eyes fixed themselves on mine. _Aw, fuck no!_

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me…"

* * *

**Cara: That's not really much of a cliffie, coz you all know who it's gonna be sat there, don't you?**

**Chiyo: Is it -**

**Cara: (slaps hand over Chiyo's mouth) Shh!! Just in case they haven't guessed yet!**

**Chiyo: mmph mmmmppph mph!**

**Cara: Chiyo said PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE!! Thankies!**


	9. I Love The Rain

**Cara: Ok, here's chappie 9!**

**Chiyo: Yep. Oh, and we might put chappie 10 up in the next few days because we wont be able to put it up next week as we're going to Greece and we will be without a computer for A WHOLE WEEK!!**

**Cara: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!**

**Chiyo: What she said. Anyways, read on and review please!**

* * *

Chapter 9:

As per usual, a smirk grew on Kaiba's face as looked up at me, my jaw having just about plummeted through the floor at my feet. Our glares met, and sparks seemed to fly between us. Not in a romantic way, though. Hell no! It was more like an I'm-Gonna-Kill-You kinda way.

"Seto, this is Renami, and Renami, this is my big brother Seto!" Mokuba beamed, obviously not noticing the intensity of the tension radiating between us both.

"Safiya." Kaiba said with a curt nod, the corner of his lips twisting slightly into a sneer.

"Kaiba." I replied, equally as icy as him, trying my damn hardest to restrain myself from flinging away the food in my arms and launching myself at the CEO, fingernails first. The bastard looked as he always did: White trench coat over black shirt and leather pants (the belt of which had a buckle with the letter KC on them, y'know, for KaibaCorp.), the same piercing blue eyes like twin shards of ice in his skull, his skin even paler than usual in the brightness shining from the cinema screen, his dark brown locks not a hair out of place. One leg rested on top of the other, and his arms were folded across his chest. You could tell from a mile off that he would so rather be typing away on his damn laptop than be in this cinema after giving in to his brother's no doubt relentless demands. Oh, I have never hated someone as much as I hate Seto Kaiba.

"Well, it was nice meeting you… _Seto_. See ya around, Mokie, yeah?" I said hurriedly, wanting to be as far away from the human ice sculpture in front of me as soon as humanly possible.

"Ok, Renami! I hope I get to see you again!" Mokuba smiled warmly, handing me back the bags of chocolate he'd offered to hold. For some reason, I just wanted to pick him up and give him a great big hug right there and then. I know, weird right? How the Hell can a demon like Kaiba have the most adorable, sweetest little angel for a brother? The world is fucked up, I'll tell you.

I waved at Mokuba, ignored Kaiba completely and walked away sharpish, aiming to get down to my guys at the front as soon as I could so I wouldn't have the added embarrassment of dropping everything I held all over the cinema floor. Was I just cursed or something? Kaiba was like a fucking _disease!_ I couldn't get rid of him, no matter how hard or tried or what I did. Perfect. Just bloody perfect. How the Hell can I settle down and enjoy the film when I know that _he_ is sat right up there at the back?! Isn't that just my luck? I wasn't sure if I'd be able to survive any more encounters with Kaiba, especially after what happened earlier this afternoon.

"What took you so long, Rennie?" was the general cry of greeting when I made it to my guys and they were all practically drooling at what they could see I held in my arms. It felt like feeding time at the zoo.

"Grab your grub before I drop it all over ya." I said, and in a split second almost everything vanished from my hands except one of the blue Slushes and two packets of Revels, which were actually what I'd bought for myself.

"I take it you guys are hungry, then." I smiled, making my way along the row to the spare seat in between Yami and Joey, squeezing past Malik, Marik, Bakura, Ryou and Yugi.

"Starving." Yugi nodded, cheeks bulging like a hamster's with the amount of sweet popcorn he'd shovelled in there. I chuckled softly, plonking my ass down into my designated seat and sweeping my long lavender locks back out of my eyes, almost taking out Joey in the process when he leaned towards me, obviously intending to say something when instead he found himself with a gobful of my hair. Oops!

Laughing, I thumped Joey on the back whilst he hacked and coughed up purple hairballs.

"You ok, Joey?" I giggled, and he half-glared at me through his golden bangs.

"Fine, considering how you just nearly bloody choked me." He said, and then smiled once he'd finished coughing, tugging a lock of my hair. "Lethal weapon, this."

I grinned at him and opened a packet of Revels, reaching in and offering one to him.

"Forgive me?" I said, putting on the puppy-dog eyes. Joey paused, pretending to think.

"Hmmm… fine, just this once."

We laughed and he sucked the Revel out of my grasp like a human vacuum cleaner. I giggled at him and was about to say something else, but before I could, the adverts finished and the film began to play, so I shut up and leaned back comfortably in the chair, dipping my hand back into my packet of Revels at the same time as taking a sip of blue Slush. Hey, I'm a woman. I can multi-task.

And now to sit back and enjoy Iron Man without my thoughts drifting away to Kaiba… Oops. Too late.

I got the feeling that this was gonna be a _very_ long film. Damn.

* * *

Y'know, about forty-five minutes into the film, it suddenly occurred to me that the main character kinda reminded me of him. Kaiba, I mean. An extremely wealthy businessman, arrogant, a little bigheaded at times, (although with Kaiba it's all the time), and generally the perfect man with the perfect life that everyone else wanted. Well, it _seemed_ perfect to those on the outside. Just like Kaiba's.

I was really enjoying Iron Man, even though I was sat there with my legs tightly crossed because I so badly needed the loo but I didn't want to go in case I missed a good bit. So I held it. Barely. And it was bloody agony, I'll tell you. And so typical of me.

Finally though, I couldn't ignore the call of nature any longer, and so after Iron Man had out-flown a couple of fighter jets and I decided that I wouldn't miss any big ass action sequence, I got up, squeezed past my protesting guys and headed up the aisle as nonchalantly as possible towards the neon green sign near the back that said "TOILETS".

As I passed Kaiba and sweet little Mokuba, I took a sip of my blue Slush and glared at the elder Kaiba, who either didn't see me in the dark or just chose to ignore me like the stuck-up twat he was. Mokuba didn't notice me either because he was too engrossed with Iron Man, who was now making some pretty cool improvements to his kick-ass metal suit. And yeah, before you ask, I was taking my Slush to the toilet with me. Hey, I always take my drinks with me because the last time I'd made the mistake of leaving my drink unattended, Marik and Bakura had actually stuck their fingers in between their toes and then wiped them afterwards around the rim of my glass. It was a bloody good job Ryou had seen them and told me just before I took a sip, and needless to say I was pretty pissed. And I sure as Hell made sure Marik and Bakura knew just how pissed I was. They haven't done it again since, but I'd rather not tempt fate.

Leaving my Slush outside the door of the Ladies because I didn't want to take it in with me, y'know, because that's pretty disgusting, I went in and did my business as quick as possible, determined not to miss any good bits of the film.

When I'd washed my hands and briefly checked my make-up in the mirror, I left the bathroom, and found myself coming face to face with the one, the only, Seto Kaiba, arms folded and smirk in place. Great. Just my bloody luck. But you know what the weird thing was? I knew he'd be there. I knew he'd be waiting for me. Spooky, huh?

"Why are you stalking me?" I asked straight out, and as expected, one eyebrow raised slightly. Well, it wasn't really much of a question, actually, it was more of a statement.

"Why would I waste my time stalking _you_, Safiya?" he said with about as much warmth as a fridge freezer. It was my turn to raise my eyebrows at him.

"Why?" I said, folding my arms across my chest, determined to keep my cool, "Am I not your type? Or am I just not good enough for the likes of you?"

Kaiba smirked and leaned back against the wall behind him, surveying me with those icy eyes. I hated him looking at me like that. I hated him, full stop. It was taking every scrap of my self-control to stop myself giving him a good kick in the nuts as payback for earlier. Maybe I'll get him back at school instead. More people to laugh at him…

"Both." He replied, his expression almost impassive, and I growled deep in my throat, my nails digging in to the flesh of my folded arms. He was seriously starting to piss me off now. Heh, he's got quite a knack for that, hasn't he? Oh yes, if you ever want a good pride-stripping, call on Kaiba. He'll make you feel like shit in the space of about three minutes. If you're lucky.

"Well, Kaiba. I'm not going to stand around here and waste my breath talking to an arrogant shit like you, so if you'd be so kind as to get the Hell out of my way and stay away from me." I hissed with more venom than a rattler, and sidestepped around him, pausing only to bend down and pick up my Slush from beside the door.

"I've been thinking, Safiya." He said suddenly. I snorted, straightening up.

"Really? I hope it didn't hurt too much." I retorted. Christ, I can be a right bitch when I want to be, especially when around Kaiba. But then again, trading insults with him was a very dangerous game, as I'm reluctantly beginning to realise. Not that I care. I would rather die than let him know he's got the better of me.

Kaiba ignored my retort with raised eyebrows and a sneer on his lips, but he somehow didn't meet my eyes.

"I've been thinking about what you said."

"When?"

"In my office."

"Ah. Which part of what I said?"

"All of it."

"Including the swearing and death threats?"

"Yes."

I looked at him suspiciously, wondering what was going on and what he was trying to get at. Yeah, so he's thought over our conversation earlier, big deal. It's not like I gave a shit. Maybe he wanted to sue me or something for assault, y'know, when I nearly punched his lights out after he went fucking mental and tried to strip me over his desk. And if that's the case, then I'll be suing him too. For sexual harassment. Ha! I'd like to see you wriggle your way out of that one, Rich Boy!

"And?"

"And… I'm sorry."

Oh. My. God.

If I hadn't seen his lips move, I wouldn't have actually believed what words had just come out of his mouth. Sure, he said it kinda emotionlessly and with the usual Kaiba I-Don't-Give-A-Shit attitude, but he still said it. Christ, I didn't even think Kaiba actually knew that there was such a word as Sorry, but obviously he did. Unless he didn't mean it.

"It's not like you to say sorry, Kaiba." I stated a little heatedly, considering dumping the rest of my Slush over his big head, "You're too far up your own ass to care about anyone else. You always have been, so don't start pretending now."

He didn't answer me. Nor did he look at me. Did he actually mean what he said? Or did it sort of slip out accidentally? I wasn't sure.

"Look, Safiya. I shouldn't have done what I did, ok?" he replied after a few moments of hesitant silence on both mine and his part, his gaze finally meeting mine. His deep sapphire eyes had lost most of their usual iciness, and for once in his life he actually looked… sincere. I gave a soft laugh, albeit a little anxiously.

"Ok, who are you and what've you done with Seto Kaiba?"

The corners of his lips quirked up slightly to form a small smile, and to my complete shock and disbelief, it wasn't sneer or a smirk. Can you believe it? An actual genuine smile!! Had Kaiba had a lobotomy since we last met, or something? Because this sure as Hell wasn't the usual arrogant, self-centred dickhead I was used to.

"I'm not always the icy bastard everyone thinks I am, Safiya." He said, "And I am sorry. For everything." I raised an eyebrow at him, searching his face for any trace of a lie or a joke. Could it be possible that Kaiba did actually have a heart?

"Are you pissed?"

"No."

"Are you on Crack?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong with you? Did I punch you too hard earlier, or something?"

"No. Just what you said."

"What could I have possibly said that actually managed to turn you into a human, Kaiba?" I demanded, wondering if the local lunatic asylum was missing a Seto Kaiba look-alike, "And if this is all just some ploy to trick me into telling me about my scars, then you can forget it! I haven't forgiven you, and I won't ever forgive you!"

The miracle smile left his face and his eyebrows raised again, going back to his usual cold self.

"I'm not trying to do anything, especially pleading forgiveness from the likes of _you_, Safiya." He hissed. My eyes flashed angrily. I knew it. I just knew it. Kaiba hadn't changed at all. He was still an egotistical piece of shit, Hell-bent on fucking up my life and royally pissing me off. Bastard.

"Just fuck off, Kaiba. I've been through way too much shit these past couple of days, and most of it's had something to do with you, so just stay out of my life, will you?" I snarled, once again contemplating whether or not to stain his white trench coat a lovely shade of Slush blue. I made once again to push past him, but this time he grabbed hold of my wrist firmly, stopping me in my tracks. I glared up at him, eyes blazing with hate.

"Let. Me. Go." I growled angrily. Cold cobalt orbs glared back at me.

"No."

"Why can't you just keep the fuck away from me?!"

"Because I'm curious."

"About what?"

"You."

I felt like slapping his bastard face. Oh, Kaiba, if you don't let go of me in the next two seconds, you're gonna wake up in casualty sometime next week. And I'm gonna be there to greet you when you wake up. Just so I could have the pleasure of putting you straight back to sleep again. Permanently.

"What about me? My scars? My past? What?"

"Everything. I can see you're hiding something, and I won't stop until I find out what." He replied, his grip as cold as his icy eyes on my bruised skin, "There's something about you that's caught my attention, Safiya."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

He yanked me closer, one hand still gripping my wrist and the other coming to rest flat on my back, holding me to his firm chest. I could feel the steady thump of his heart vibrating through my own chest.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." He whispered in my ear, leaning his head next to mine, his voice sending shivers down my spine, "And trust me, you _will_ find out."

I gazed up at him and he stared straight back until he released his vice grip on my arm. I paused for a minute, rubbing my tender flesh, my body still flush against his. But I made no attempt to move.

"Curious, huh?" I murmured softly. Kaiba's intoxicating cinnamon scent was radiating deliciously from him, seriously screwing up my senses, "Just how curious?"

A small smirk spread across his face, but for some reason it didn't frustrate me as much as it usually did. He bent his head once again down towards me, and I sort of tilted mine upwards, leaning closer, our lips inches apart…

I pressed a finger to his lips before they had chance to meet mine and smiled one of the most evil smiles ever smiled, even more evil than the ones that frequently graced the faces of Marik and Bakura, and occasionally Yami.

"What makes you think I'm gonna make it easy for you, Kaiba?" I purred, smirking at him. Kaiba looked royally pissed as I stepped away from him.

"This isn't over, Safiya." He said coldly, glaring at me.

"You got that right, Rich Boy!" I agreed, turning away from him with a sweep of my long hair and walking back down the cinema aisle from which I came, back towards my guys. On screen, Iron Man was talking with a balding fat guy about his company and crap, so I gathered I hadn't missed much. Damn Kaiba. Stupid interfering bastard. "I'm curious." Pah! You fucking will be, asshole! Especially when I get my hands on you…

* * *

I love the rain. Weird, huh? I mean, most people hate the stuff, but there are some, like me, who actually like it, for some reason or other.

My reason? Well, I just find it so soothing. The soft pounding as it falls down onto my head and shoulders, trickling off my skin in slow drips, washing away all my pains and troubles. Almost all my pains and troubles.

The film had finished quite a while ago, and the guys had all gone their separate ways home. Bakura and Ryou had headed straight home, which wasn't surprising with how, um, _intimate_ they'd been getting in the cinema, so they were probably fucking each other's brains out like horny rabbits right now, whereas Malik and Marik had set off to go to some new nightclub that had opened a little away in town, called Starblitz or something like that. They'd asked the rest of us if we wanted to come with, but we said no, so they shrugged and went. Yami, Yugi and Joey were gonna stop by at the Chinese on their way home, and invited me along, but again I said no. And they left too. And I was alone.

I didn't go home. Not even as the heavens opened and the rain began to pour. Instead, I walked in the opposite direction of my apartment, and somehow ended up where I was now, which was sat at the base of a large oak tree close to the small lake in Domino Park, my legs drawn up to my chin and my clothes sucking to my body due to the rain. I was shivering like Hell, but I didn't move. I didn't want to move.

Things were so messed up at the moment. I mean, first me and Joey get attacked and he gets raped down that alley, then I find out that Alex is back with a vengeance, and then to top it all of, Kaiba's multiple personality disorder was seriously fucking with my head. Y'know, he'd be all icy and arrogant one minute, and I'd hate his guts, and then he'd sort of change suddenly, like throwing me back onto his desk in a temperamental fit or going all sincere and apologetic in the blink of an eye. He'd really confused me and I didn't know if I should trust him or not. Not that I wanted to trust him. The sooner he got the Hell out of my life, the better! If he fucking left me alone, things might go back to normal…

No. They wouldn't. Who am I trying to kid? Back to normal? I've more or less already kissed normal goodbye as it is. Especially now Alex is back. And out to get me. And my friends. Holy fuck. My life is such a mess.

Despite being half-covered by the tree, the rain still managed to attack every inch of my skin, and I was glad for it. It was helping me clear my thoughts a little, helping me get a grip and pull my head back in check.

The moon had risen in the sky, bright and full. A bit eerie, too, I gotta admit, but it bathed the otherwise empty park with hazy white light, chasing away the shadows of night and causing it's reflection to shimmer and dance in the calm swirling waters of the lake. I felt anything but calm. So many things were going on inside my head, and my emotions were twisting and merging in my mind, so I didn't even know how I felt. Angry, sad, confused, hurt, alone… afraid. Conflicting emotions, non making sense.

"Why does this shit always happen to me?" I wondered aloud, standing up and heading out of the protection of the tree, meeting the full force of the rain as I walked closer to the lake's edge. I stopped and stared down into the dark misty depths, my reflection returning my stare with amethyst orbs swimming with complex inner turmoil. "Why am I always the one who ends up getting hurt?"

Maybe because I'm too trusting.

Too gullible. Easily fooled.

And so easily hurt. Bleeding and bruises are nothing new to me. It's almost like they're supposed to be there. Destined to make their marks on my skin, both physically and mentally.

My eyes welled up, and tears mixed with the rain showering down on my face. It's always been like this. I'd trust too much, be so easily fooled, lulled into a false sense of security and then hurt in more ways than one. And then I'd be left alone to weep, usually lying half-naked in a pool of my own blood on the kitchen tiles. And then it would happen again and again until I'd finally stopped hoping for a saviour. My white flag was waving, but it had never been seen. Never.

Nobody understood what I was going through. They never could. I mean, normal teenage problems seem so petty in comparison, like spots and boyfriends and GCSEs and stuff, whereas I've been through so much more. The death of family, the realisation that there's no such thing as perfect, no such thing as love. Abuse. Tears. Emptiness. Sharp knives, bloody chains, broken glass, blunt objects. More abuse. More tears. More emptiness.

A living Hell. I thought I'd managed to outrun that six months ago. I was stupid to run! Why did I run?! I'd had enough! I was fucking target practise morning and night, relentless punches, kicks, viscous malicious insults and remarks, cutting me right to the core. If I hadn't run, I'd either still be there or I'd be dead. I'm dead now, that's for sure. He swore that. The last words he'd said before he'd been dragged away.

_"You can't escape me that easily, Kitten. I will be back. No matter how far you run, I will always find you. You can count on that. When I return, I will track you down. And I will kill you."_

Well, I ran then, and I'll run again now. Where? I didn't know. Be it running away or running back, I would still run and run and run until I finally escaped his clutches for good. Would I be able to escape? Even the doppelganger floating along the ripples of the icy water before me looked doubtful. She knew I couldn't escape. She knew he had his ways to get what he wanted. She knew he was always true to his word. And so did I.

The gentle pattering rain before had changed into cold unforgiving droplets of ice, speeding down towards the earth with impossible speed and force, and thunder rumbled close by as lighting forked through the sky in a violent flash mere seconds after. A storm was brewing. A big one, too. Great.

Backing away from the water's edge, I turned and ran, slipping on the rain-slicked grass, my legs feeling like lead weights as my feet slapped against the ground. I sprinted out of the park, down the sidewalk and then sprinted across the road without thinking twice to look.

Bright lights blazed into my eyes and I turned quickly, realising that it was already too late as the car came straight at me. There wasn't enough time to get out of the way.

A squeal of brakes.

The screeching of tires on tarmac.

A scream.

My scream.

An explosion of pain.

And then silence.

* * *

**Cara: OH NO!! IS RENAMI DEAD?! OH MY GOD!!**

**Chiyo: Shut up, moron. You know the plot.**

**Cara: Yeps. I does. Please review guys, I… _we'd_ really appreciate it. Should start picking up now because the infamous dreaded Alex is fast approaching… MWAHAHAHAHAA!!**

**Chiyo: (cough) freak (cough)**

**Cara: lol!**


	10. Flowers of Familiarity

**Cara: WOOHOO!! DOUBLE FIGURES NOW!!**

**Chiyo: Yay.**

**Cara: Ok, read on please! This chapter adds yet another piece of Renami's past you don't know about, but things will start to be revealed shortly...**

* * *

Chapter 10:

I was surprised when I woke up because I hadn't expected to be waking up at all after what just happened, y'know, the rain, the car, the pain, the blackout… I thought I'd be dead right now. Or rather, I _hoped_ I'd be dead right now…

And so, upon finding myself in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, I realised that this was so not one of the greatest of scenarios in the world, I gotta say. Where was I? And why am I not dead?

I threw back the duvet that had been draped across my body and sat up in bed, blinking in confusion as I looked around the room, searching for answers. Nothing. Dammit.

I stood up quickly. Whoa, not one of my brightest ideas, for no sooner had I got to my feet, my head practically exploded with pain so intense that I fell straight back down onto the bed again. _What the fuck is going on here?_

Groaning in pain, I clutched my head in both hands and swore vehemently under my breath until the agony subsided enough to be bearable and then I stood up again, but a Hell of a lot slower this time, grabbing onto the post of the bed for support. How'd I end up here? And where _was_ here, anyway? I didn't want to admit it, but I was starting to panic. Really bad. The last time I got knocked out cold and woke up in a strange room, I'd found myself waking up covered in blood, with several bones broken. And then it'd only got worse from there, so this kinda thing really shit me up something fierce. The fear of reliving the past, I suppose.

"I don't know where I am, but I gotta get out of here!" I muttered, forcing myself to calm down and began looking around the room for possible escape routes. One window, one door. Window was locked tight, and I hadn't yet perfected my lock-picking skills, so the door it was. Great. That's it, Rennie. Run right out that door and no doubt you'll end up running straight into the deepest shit hole you could ever imagine, because you can bet your ass they'll be out there waiting for you. And you better hope they're in a very good mood, because you are so completely buggered if they're not. Nice knowing ya!

I crossed the room swiftly, ignoring the pain stabbing inside my skull like an angry porcupine as I approached the door. Not wanting to run straight into a trap (which was most likely what I was about to do) I pressed my ear against the wood, trying to hear for any sounds other than my shallow breathing and thumping heart. Silence. That didn't exactly fill me up with confidence, but what could I do? Stay in here and rot, or go out there and die a most probable quick, painless death? Hmm, let me think about that… Yep. Definitely the second. Any day.

I took a deep breath. And another. And then another. And then… Oh for fuck sake! This was getting me nowhere, for crying out loud!

"_Aw, screw it!"_ I thought in determination and flung open the door. And then winced as it slammed against the wall beside it with an almighty crash that nearly brought down the whole house. Well done. Well done you stupid piece of shit. Why didn't you just fucking sound the alarm to let them know you're trying to get away? What a fucking genius. Einstein ain't got nothing on me.

I had to get out as quick as possible now, so I hurriedly looked up and down the small-ish corridor I'd burst into and spotted the staircase to my left and sped down it as fast as I could, trying my damn hardest not to slip or trip and end up bouncing down the steps on my head. Heh. That'd be a real dignified exit, wouldn't it? Not.

I made I down the stairs without any complications and headed straight for what I hoped was the front door. Yes, I was so close… Almost there… I'm going to make it…

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Startled, I tripped over my own feet and went crashing to the floor, head first, but luckily for me, I'd been smart enough to throw my arms out in front, so I didn't land on my face with an almighty splat or anything as ghastly as that, but I did manage to jar all way up both arms and down my spine, fresh pain mixing with the previous. Holy shit! That hurt like a bitch!

"Oh my God, are you ok? I didn't mean to frighten you." The same voice said worriedly, only it was closer this time and a soft hand found its way to my shoulder. Wait a minute. Kidnappers and murderers don't generally go around comforting their captives. Neither do they sound so genuinely concerned about their safety. Slowly, I lifted my head up from the carpet and found myself looking into soft warm hazel eyes.

"Are you hurt?" The woman asked, kneeling down in front of me. I shook my head slowly, even though it was so obvious to both me and her that I was in sheer bloody agony, but my bewilderment and uncertainty kinda overruled that.

"I-I'm fine…" I replied. She gave a small relieved smile and offered her hand to me. I hesitated a moment and then took it and allowed her to help pull me back to my feet. Once fully up, I took in all I could about my captor/saviour's appearance. She was about the same height as me, maybe a few inches taller, with brown skin a few shades darker than mine and long luscious chocolate coloured curls that hung down just past her shoulders. She was quite pretty and slim, or she would be, if she didn't have a huge balloon of a stomach sticking out in front of her, straining the material of the pretty floral dress she was wearing. All thoughts of her being a possible kidnapper flew straight out the window, because there'd be absolutely no way on earth that she could've dragged me all the way back here and up all those damn stairs when it was obvious that she could barely walk because of her condition. A bun in the oven, so to speak.

"Come into the living room with me, Sweetheart. You've been through quite a lot, haven't you?" she said kindly, gesturing at me to follow her back into the room from which she'd came. Silently, I followed.

"Sit down, Love." She said over her shoulder as she passed the sofa and went into the kitchen.

I sat down on the sofa, still not speaking. Who was this woman? How did I end up in her house? Why was none of this making any fucking _sense?!_

"Tea or coffee?" she called.

"Um, coffee, please." I replied, my voice like a little mouse squeak even to my own ears. The sudden appearance of this woman had seriously knocked me for six, especially considering all the shit that had happened lately. Y'know, it seemed like every single fucking day of my life a new twist was added, distorting it from it's original carefree course. This must've started from the day I was born, because my life has never ever been carefree. I dunno, maybe I'm just cursed. Yippee for me.

"Sugar?"

"N-no, thanks."

She smiled as she came back into the room, two mugs of steaming coffee balanced precariously on a tray in her hands. I gotta admit, I was pretty impressed with her speed, y'know, for a pregnant woman, because when my mom was pregnant with my little sister Zahra, a granny with a Zimmer frame could've moved quicker than she did! Oh, I miss mom so much… And Zahra too… If only there was someway we could change the past…

"You don't need to look so worried, Honey, I'm not gonna leap over there and throttle you, y'know. I can barely move as it is!" The woman giggled, and I smiled back as she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of me and sat on the opposite sofa, resting her arms on her swollen stomach as she held her steaming cup of coffee.

"Thank you." I said gratefully, reaching across for my own cup.

We sipped companionably in comfortable silence for a few minutes, occasionally blowing the steam away to cool our coffees.

"My name's Rehema." She said after a while. I nodded and smiled, swallowing my mouthful of burning coffee.

"I'm Renami."

"I know."

I looked up at her, surprised.

"How?"

"This isn't the first time I've seen you, y'know." She chuckled softly at my expression, "Yes, I've seen you quite a few times in the last couple of days. I was at the hospital waiting for my check-up when Mr Kaiba brought you and your friend with the blond hair in. You were both in pretty bad shape, I'll tell you."

I nodded, remembering how much of a mess Joey had been in when I'd seen him in the hospital room. God can only imagine how much worse he looked before he'd been cleaned up and bandaged.

"That was the first time I saw you, and I felt so sorry for you and your friend. I didn't know what had actually happened until my husband told me afterwards."

"How did your husband know about it?" I asked, feeling a tight squeezing in my stomach. Rehema tossed her beautiful brown curls back over her shoulder and leaned forwards in her chair a little.

"Because he was there. He's one of Seto Kaiba's personal bodyguards, and he helped chase those bastards away and carry you and your poor friend to Domino hospital. He said he didn't see everything what happened but he saw enough. He said it was horrific."

Horrific? Sure that had been pretty bad, but trust me, I was the expert of horrific. Living with a psychotic sadistic bastard for at least three and a half years had really opened my eyes to just how horrific things could be. But I did agree. What they did to Joey was just… unbearable to even think about, never mind actually having to go through it like he did. Involuntarily, the memory of the alleyway sprang back up into my mind and my knuckles tightened around the hot mug, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"Yeah, it was." I murmured softly, staring down at my coffee instead of meeting Rehema's gaze. I heard her give a small sigh, and then the sofa cushion sunk down a little beside me, and I could feel the warmth of her body next to me. Gently she took the mug from me, put it down on the coffee table and then she replaced it with a tissue as she pressed it into my hand.

"Shh… Don't cry. Everything's ok, now, isn't it? You're friend's ok, and you're ok, so why the tears?" she said soothingly, her hand rubbing small comforting circles on my back. Usually I'd flinch away from anyone who touched my back, be it accidental on intentional, but now I just stayed where I was, dabbing at my eyes with the tissue.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologise, Sweetheart. I can only imagine what you're going through." She cut across my apology, the gentleness in her voice almost motherly as she calmed me down. I sniffed a little and shut my eyes, unconsciously leaning sideways and resting my head against her shoulder and she stroked my hair like I was a little girl. I know it was strange, but somehow I felt like I _knew_ her, y'know, from somewhere else, at some other time. She just looked and felt so familiar to me. Even her soft flowery scent that matched her flowery dress seemed so familiar. And then I realised something.

"You still haven't told me how you know my name," I said, looking up at her, "I mean, I get what you said about your husband seeing what happened, but he doesn't know my name either. At least I don't think he does. So how d'you know who I am?"

She smiled.

"My husband's not the only one who works for Seto Kaiba, y'know. I'm his housekeeper."

"You're kidding me." I gawped.

"Afraid not. As I said, I saw you at the hospital, but I still didn't know your name until a few hours ago, when Seto and Mokuba came home from the cinema, and Mokuba was practically gushing about this 'Pretty Purple Lady' he'd met, called Renami. I knew it was you. I mean, how many people do you see with hair like yours, huh?"

"Not many." I laughed softly.

"Damn straight. So now I knew your name, and me and my husband, George, were on our way back from the Kaiba Mansion, driving past Domino Park, when suddenly you came running out into the road and nearly got run over by the car in front of us." She said, reaching for her coffee again.

"The car in front of you?" I asked, puzzled. If she hadn't been responsible for what happened, why had she brought me back here? "So you didn't run me over?"

"No. We didn't. Well, you didn't really get run over, so to speak. You ran out, the car came at you and you sort of staggered back and tripped on the kerb. Hit your head pretty hard on the pavement when you fell. Whoever was driving had thrown on the brakes when they saw you, but when you fell, they just swerved around you and kept on driving. They obviously didn't give a shit if they'd killed you or not. We stopped and got out. Rushed to you to see if you were still breathing, and thank God you were. George was all set to chase after them, but they'd long gone by then, so we brought you back here."

I sat back in the sofa, letting it all sink in. It was all sliding into place now, I mean, hitting my head on the ground would explain the explosion of pain I felt seconds before I blacked out, and it was obvious I hadn't been hit because I had actually been able to move when I'd woken up, but what I couldn't understand was _why_ would someone just drive off when they could've possibly just killed someone. Sure, maybe they'd been scared, so they'd scarpered, but I think it was more than that. It didn't feel like much of a coincidence to me.

"Did you see who was in the car in front?" I asked Rehema when she stood up to take the now empty coffee mugs back into the kitchen. She turned to me and shook her head, her chocolate curls swaying from left to right.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, but it was too dark to get a clear view of them. All I can tell you is that there was two of them, the driver and a passenger, and judging by the little of them I could see, they were both male, but that's all. I couldn't tell you much else." She said, somewhat sadly. It sounded as though she was blaming herself for not being able to identify them. I smiled at her reassuringly.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? Like you said, I'm ok, so there's no point stressing over it. What's done is done." I said. She returned my smile.

"I suppose you're right." She sighed, and went into the kitchen with the tray and cups. I heard her running water and then putting the cups into the sink. Looking down at my hands, I started tearing the tissue into little pieces as I thought things over. Not about the guys in the car, no, I wasn't bothered about them anymore. Why should I be? But it was Rehema who was perplexing me now. I just _knew_ I'd seen her before from somewhere. Not from here, in Domino. But somewhere else…_Where?_

"-Nami?"

Jolted from my thoughts, I looked up quickly. Rehema was stood in the kitchen doorway, looking concerned. She'd been saying something to me, but I'd missed half of it because I was so deep in my thoughts, trying to place her face from elsewhere.

"You ok, Honey?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I was just… thinking about something." I replied, crumpling the shreds of tissue into a ball in my fist.

"Oh." Rehema nodded slowly, "You just looked a little distant, Sweetie." She paused and cast a fresh eye over me, her forehead creased as she frowned slightly. "Are you sure you're okay? Is everything alright at home? With your family?"

I shook my head sadly.

"No, no, everything's ok, but I don't have any family." Rehema's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? No family? Why?"

I closed my eyes, willing the tears that had just appeared back. I didn't want to talk about it, and more than anything, I didn't want to cry about it.

"I… I don't…"

"I understand, Darling. You don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry." Rehema interrupted softly, thankfully sparing me from reliving those painful memories that had resurfaced with just those three little words: _"With your family?"_

"Thank you." I said gratefully, mopping at my eyes again with the tissue. Silence fell over us both for a few moments once more, only the sound that could be heard was the breaths we took. We shared another small smile and then I glanced up at the clock sat on the top of the mantelpiece. 1:47.

"How long have I been out?" I asked. Rehema shrugged.

"Quite a while. We brought you back here at about twenty past eleven at night, and it's nearly two in the afternoon now, so…"

"WHAT?!" I screeched, leaping to my feet, practically scaring Rehema shitless, _"Two in the afternoon?!"_

"Yes. Why? What's the problem? Where are you going?" she asked worriedly as I started for the front door.

"School! I've nearly missed a whole day of it! I am so screwed now! And we're supposed to have Mrs Lewis for French today too! She's gonna chew my ass up for sure, she hates me so much…"

"Renami-"

"Did we have a History essay that was supposed to be in today, too? Crap, I haven't done _that_ either…"

"Renami, wait a minute, you-"

I turned and grabbed hold of both Rehema's hands in mine, shaking them hastily.

"Thank you so much for helping me out, Rehema, I'm really grateful."

"Look, Renami, you need to-"

"Sorry, but I gotta go now. Maybe I can make last period if I get there quick enough…"

"Renami, just hold on a second and listen to me!" Rehema cried, finally managing to get my attention. I paused and half turned around, my hand resting on the door handle.

"Yeah? Can you make it quick, please, I really need to get going, I'm already late as it is…"

"Renami. It's Monday."

"I know what day it is…"

"Bank Holiday Monday."

"…Oh." I said, realisation dawning at long last. You have no idea how much of a total tool I felt at that moment. I stood there, wishing with all my heart that the earth would just open up beneath my feet and swallow me whole to spare me from the embarrassment. "…I knew that."

Rehema nodded, obviously trying her damn hardest not to laugh.

"Sure you did."

I blushed and turned back around to hide my burning cheeks from her. I sure know how to make an ass of myself in front of total strangers, don't I? First in KaibaCorp, and now here. But I gotta point out in my own defence that I wasn't responsible for what happened in KaibaCorp. It was that redhead receptionist who dropped me in it then. 100 percent _not _my fault! Ok, maybe 99.9, but still.

"How come you're not at work today?" I asked, trying to subtly divert her. She saw straight through it, of course, but gave no indication.

"I rang in sick this morning, just before George left. I couldn't leave you here on your own, because I had no idea when you'd wake up. Mr Kaiba was, how shall we say, less than impressed." She said as she shrugged offhandedly, as though she couldn't care less about how Kaiba felt about it. I turned back around to face her, confused.

"Why? Don't you get sick-leave or something?"

"Sometimes. Rarely."

"What? Even when you're – how many months pregnant are you?"

"Seven."

"Right, even when you're seven months pregnant? Shouldn't you be on maternity leave anyway?"

"I should – but I'm not."

"What?!" I cried incredulously, "What is Kaiba _playing_ at?!"

Rehema shrugged again and leaned back against the wall of the hallway, a somewhat mischievous twinkle in her hazel eyes.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

I stared at her, wondering what she was getting at.

"What d'you mean?" I asked tentatively. She smiled.

"From what I hear, you're pretty well acquainted with Mr Seto Kaiba. A friend of mine told me. Well, she's not really a friend, more like a fellow colleague, who just lives for the huge dollop of juicy gossip whenever she's lucky enough to stumble across it."

Non of this was ringing any bells for me, so I tilted my head on one side for her to continue.

"She caught you."

"Caught me what? Where?"

"In his office."

I gulped, the awful understanding plummeting down on me like a ton of bricks. Hell, fuck the ton of bricks, more like a Goddamn _house_ crashing down on me! I groaned.

"This friend of yours, she wouldn't happen to be peroxide blonde, with really orange fake tan, would she?"

Rehema nodded, grinning widely. I groaned again.

"Perfect. Just bloody brilliant."

"Yep. Charlene saw you two getting frisky on his desk, and by four o'clock, everyone in the building knew about it."

"Oh God." I moaned, dropping my head into my hands.  
"You can say that again."

"But we weren't 'getting frisky'! He went fucking mental and tried ripping my shirt off so he could get a good look at my scars and-" I broke off quickly, realising what I'd just said. _Shit!_

All traces of playfulness left Rehema's face faster than I thought humanly possible.

"Scars?"

I swore under my breath, cursing me and my big mouth. Well done, Renami. Once again, you've managed to drop yourself in it. Big time. Come on, let's see how good a story you can come up with to throw her off the scent…

"What scars?" she asked again, a little firmer than before. It wasn't a question. No, it was a command.

"I, uh, had an… accident. When I was younger." I said. Rehema narrowed her eyes.

"What sort of accident?"

"Um… I… uh…" I was mentally trying to improvise, attempting to come up with a story convincing enough to make her believe me, but I couldn't think of anything. She raised her eyebrows at my stammering.

"What sort of accident?" she repeated.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, ok?" I sighed, giving up after drawing a blank on a fictional explanation for her to swallow. I didn't want to look at her, but when I thought it was safe enough to risk a glance, she looked sort of… disgusted. Like a mother who's just found out that her daughter's been caught smoking her lungs out behind the bike sheds at school, or something. She was so not amused, put it that way, but what could she do? She couldn't actually _force_ me into telling her, could she? And it was none of her fucking business, anyway! Who did she think she was? _My mother?!_

I opened my mouth to say all of that out loud, but before I could, she shook her head sadly, her face softening back into its usual kindness.

"I'm sorry. It's non of my business, I know."

I nodded slightly, avoiding her gaze again. Silence for a few more moments, before she sighed and spoke up again.

"I suppose you better be going now, Honey."

"Yeah, I should. Gracie'll need feeding."

"Gracie?" she asked, puzzled.

"My dog."

"Oh. Right."

I don't know why, but I felt kinda awkward with leaving this woman. It was almost like we had so many things to say, but we didn't know where to start. Unfinished things. From the past, maybe?

"Thank you for helping me out." I said, smiling gratefully as she offered me my black jacket which I hadn't noticed earlier hanging on the coat rack mounted on the wall beside the grandfather clock.

"No problem, Sweetie. Anytime." She smiled warmly. I took the coat from her, put it back on and turned back towards the door. And then I paused.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked over my shoulder.

"I guarantee you will, Renami." She replied. I smiled once more, and then opened the door and stepped outside, ready to set off back to my apartment. Gracie'd be going spare, with me not being there for God knows how many hours. I mean, the last time I'd left her on her own for too long, she'd practically destroyed the entire damn living room and…

Hold on a minute…

Where exactly am I?

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**Cara: Hey, you might be thinking that this chapter doesn't really have any relevance to the story, but I assure you that it does and it will all become clearer soon, I promise!!**

**Chiyo: Yet more promises, huh?**

**Cara: Yups! Ok, please review please!! Ta!**


	11. Scott

**Cara: OMG!! TWO FLIPPIN UPDATES IN ONE WEEK?! SWEET MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS!! -faints in shock-**

**Chiyo: -looks down at her unconscious hikari- That's blasphemy, y'know.**

**Cara: -raises head from floor- No its not! Is it?**

**Chiyo: -rolls eyes- Never mind. Anyways, this chapter contains an itsie bitsie bit of blood and a familiar bastard with green eyes…**

**Cara: WAIT!! WAIT!!**

**Chiyo: What?**

**Cara: I want to thank our lovely reviewers!**

**Chiyo: Fine, whatever…**

**Cara: Ok, I wanna say a great big thanks to:**

**Journeymaker**

**DaniMag-san**

**XxSaphira**

**Codeblueeyes987**

**Nightcrawlerlover**

**YourPsycho**

**Lien-Chan**

**Leh Star**

**Princess.Of.Darkness90**

**Cheshire Lee Cat**

**Bloody Hell! There's LOADS of ya!! Thankies sooo much! -bows-**

**Chiyo: Ok, on with the chapter. Please review…**

* * *

Chapter 11:

Rehema's POV:

Jesus Christ, I could bloody tell she was a Safiya. No internal compass at all. Just like Kiani, I suppose. Yes, she was definitely her mother's daughter. No doubt about it.

Ok, so I lied to her. Bite me. It was for the best anyway, I mean, if I just suddenly brought up all this shit and dumped it on her right now, it wouldn't be fair on her. Poor girl. When she had eventually left (after coming back in for instructions on how to actually get home, because she had absolutely no idea where she was), I couldn't help but feel so damn guilty, despite knowing I'd made the right decision. It had been just a little lie, I suppose. Not all that far from the truth, but it wasn't the entire truth either.

She was too young still. And she obviously had other problems weighing her down. Something about scars, she said. Well, let slip more like it. I gotta admit, I was curious, but this wasn't the right place or time, so it was better for me to just to let her walk away, with only the promise of us two meeting again some time in the near future, but for now I'll leave her to get on with her life. As they say, ignorance is bliss.

But they also say, the innocent can never last. I just hope, for her sake, that her innocence will last so much longer, until she knows the truth… and learns to accept it. Until then, I'll just have to watch from afar. And maybe do a bit of harmless matchmaking while I'm at it…

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Renami's POV:

Contrary to earlier suspicions, I was in actual fact still in Domino, but on the opposite side of town, so I was bloody closer to getting to Kaiba's mansion than I was to getting back to my damn apartment! Not that I'd want to go to Kaiba's mansion. Nope, no way. And I'm NEVER going into KaibaCorp EVER again in my LIFE, not after that bitch Charlene so loving spread it around the entire damn company that she'd caught me and Kaiba practically fucking each other on his fucking desk. And I wouldn't not go in there just because of the toe-curling embarrassment, no, I wouldn't go in there because if I did, I'd end up getting my ass hauled back out again by the police about fifteen minutes after I'd gone in, under arrest for homicide. Maybe even double homicide, if I happened to bump into the big man himself on my way up to throttle his bastard secretary. Oh, Charlene better bloody pray to the Lord that she never has the misfortune of meeting me ever again, or else she'd end up going fucking up there to _join_ him! By the way, just in case you haven't noticed, I tend to hold grudges for very long lengths of time. Frequently, because it seems that everyone in the fucking world is just out to fucking piss me off, but no-one is accomplished at that than Seto Kaiba…

"That'll be fourteen pounds eighty, please."

Huh? What? Oh yeah. When I'd finally made it back into the parts of Domino that I actually recognised (No offence to Rehema or anything, but the directions she gave me sucked, and I mean really sucked), I'd stopped by the local _Blockbusters_ DVD rental place to, uh, rent a DVD (No shit), and was now stood at the counter, _Underworld: Evolution_ in one hand and a litre bottle of Pepsi and some munchies in the other. I was hungry, alright? I'd been out cold for like God knows how many hours with no grub whatsoever, so obviously I was a wee bit peckish.

"Ok, fourteen pounds… eighty, did you say?" I asked the guy at the counter, plonking the DVD on the counter so I could fiddle around in my purse for my money.

"Yeah." He replied as he smiled and flipped his blond bangs back out of his eyes in what I suppose other girls would've thought as being sexy, but not me. It looked like he had a nervous twitch, or something. I forked over the cash, smiled at him, then picked up the DVD and my munchies, and left the place, smirking slightly at the sigh of disappointment he had given when I'd walked out of the door.

It didn't take me long to get back home from there, even with me avoiding the back-alley shortcuts I'd usually take, but haven't since, y'know, the ambush a few days back. Hey, it pays to be careful, and if I was stupid enough to wander down one of them on my own, and come face to face with that bastard Green eyes and his gang of assholes, then I would be so royally screwed on so many different levels. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. But, on the other hand, if I happened to run into Green eyes and he was all on his lonesome, then that'd be a different matter entirely, because I'd make sure he'd pay dearly for what he did to Joey, and he wouldn't be raping anyone else ever again, as I would also make sure he had nothing left that he could rape them _with_, if you get my drift…

It was pretty warm out, being about twenty-five past three in the afternoon and the sun was out in full force, and I passed loads of kids on bikes and playing with footballs and Frisbees in the streets and their front lawns, making the most of the rare sunshine because it was like, almost mid-November. It doesn't stay warm for long around here in Domino, but when the sun's out, it sure as Hell lets you know about it by making sure it scorches all the Goddamn flesh off your bones the minute you take one step from your front door.

"Good afternoon, dear!" Someone called as I turned down the street to my apartment. Knowing who it was, I turned and waved at the elderly woman sat out on her front lawn in a deckchair, her Dalmatian lounging in the grass at her feet.

"Heya, Mrs Granger! Hello, Duchess!" I called back, smiling at them. Duchess raised her head from the grass, gave a bark in response and then put her head back down, soaking up the sweltering rays of the sun with a content whine. Mrs Granger waved also, and I continued past, heading for my home.

I fished the keys out of the pocket of my jeans as I made my way up the steps to my front door and slid the right key into the lock, turning it until it clicked, and I pushed the door open and went inside. I was still thinking about Rehema. I don't know why, but I just couldn't let it go. How familiar she was to me, I mean. Don't you just hate it when you meet someone you _know_ you've met before, but you can't for the life of you place when or where? Happens to me all the time. And it sure as Hell pisses me off something fierce.

I shut the door behind me and shrugged off my jacket, letting it drop down onto the top of my school bag that lay in wait by the door. Kicking aside the pile of junk mail on the rug at my feet, I started for the living room when I noticed something odd… No Gracie. That was pretty weird, because she never failed to greet me when I come home from wherever I've been by pouncing on me and attacking my face with a flurry of happy licks from her warm pink tongue. But today she wasn't here to welcome me home.

"Gracie?" I called, my voice echoing through the otherwise silent apartment. No answer. Panic began to brew deep in my stomach, forcing its way up my throat like bile. "Gracie? Where are you? Gracie?"

Leaving the DVD and snacks on the table by the door, I walked tentatively into the living room. The room was practically pitch black because the thick curtains were still shut from when I'd closed them yesterday before I'd left to meet up with the guys at Cineworld. Sunlight shone through the small crack in the curtains, leaving a stripe of white reflected onto the carpet at my feet. I threw them open, allowing the light to flood the room, spreading to fill every corner.

"Ah, that's much better."

I froze, because those words hadn't been mine. They had come from behind me. I spun around so fast I nearly cricked my neck, and found myself staring into twin pools of bright emerald green.

"Do you know how boring it is sitting here all alone in the dark?" the voice asked again, the noise issuing from the mouth beneath the green orbs.

"Alex…" I breathed, eyes widening with pure fear. My heart was banging so hard against my ribs, it felt as though it was going to burst free from my chest with every beat. The intruder chuckled.

"Nope, guess again."

Confused, I cast a fresh eye over whoever it was. A man, early to mid-twenties, messy dark brown hair that reached his shoulders, framing his handsome face. His skin was darkish, but not so much so, his body lean yet strong looking. He wore baggy jeans and a white vest. He was sat back on my sofa, arms folded across his chest and a malicious smirk on his face. And those eyes…

"_You!"_ I hissed as I realised who he was. Not Alex. _Green eyes._

His smirk widened when he saw the recognition in my eyes.

"Ah, she remembers. Hello again, my pretty. Did you miss me?" he said. I growled low in my throat, all the previous fear transformed into anger in a matter of seconds. Yeah, I was still shit scared, but my thirst for revenge kinda took over. He grinned and stood up, mocking me with his gaze.

"What's the matter? Are you still sore about what happened a few days ago down that alley? Forgive and forget, darling. Time to move on."

"Never." I snarled, backing up and frantically searching the room with my eyes for some sort of weapon I could protect myself with and use against him if necessary. He moved towards me, grinning like a demented Cheshire cat.

"Don't tell me you're scared of me, pretty one." He taunted, sneering at me. I glared at him with eyes blazing with more ferocity than the fires of Hell.

"Who are you?" I asked, still retreating. I knew that soon I would end up with my back against the wall and I'd have nowhere else to run, trapped and completely at his mercy.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just so I know in advance what I'm gonna carve into your gravestone." I said with a sneer. He laughed.

"Oh, such a feisty bitch, aren't you? I can see why he's is so crazy about you." He chuckled again, coming even closer still, "And in answer to your previous question, my name is Scott."

"Scott what?"

He tutted slowly, as one would to a slow child. My anger level cranked up a couple of notches.

"You really think I'm gonna tell you? Sorry to disappoint you, my pretty, but I'm not stupid."

"You could've fooled me." I spat, risking a glance over my shoulder to see just how far I was from the wall, and then I spotted something that made my heart leap up into my throat. Lying there on the shelf close by me was a large kitchen knife, gleaming innocently in the sunlight. I looked back at Scott and I saw the maniacal elation in his eyes when he noticed what I'd seen. Obviously he must've put it there, having taken it from my kitchen, but for what reason? Weighing up my chances and alternatives, I decided that I didn't give a shit why it was there and dived towards the shelf, grabbing the knife tightly in both hands. Scott had made no move to stop me, nor did he move when I turned back on him, the blade pointed threateningly out in front of me, aimed straight at the centre of his chest.

"Be careful with that." He said pleasantly, as though we were discussing the weather or something like that. "Wouldn't want you hurting yourself now, would we?"

"The only one that's gonna get hurt around here is you." I said, my newfound weapon filling me with enough confidence to advance forwards, slowly closing the gap between the tip of the knife and his chest.

"Go ahead," he dared me, smirking, "Go on! Kill me! Or don't you have the guts, pretty one?"

"Usually I wouldn't, but I think in your case I think I can make an exception. You will pay for what you did to Joey." I snarled. My hands had started to shake, but not because I was scared. No, because it felt like my mind was being taken over by something, a voice at the back of my head that bayed for me to slit his bastard throat from ear to ear and spill his blood, screaming at me to take his life, so he could do no more harm to anyone else ever again. He smirked at me again, completely unfazed at the prospect of facing death. Maybe he wasn't scared because he was so convinced I wouldn't be able to do it.

"What are you waiting for?" he taunted, laughing at me.

Angrily, I darted forwards, taking what seemed to be my only option, swinging the blade upwards in a deadly strike, intent on severing his bastard head from his shoulders… but the attack never made contact and I found myself being thrown back and then being held against the wall by him, one hand around my throat and the other gripping the wrist of the hand I held the knife in, pressing it painfully against the wall above my head.

"You've got more balls than I thought, pretty one." He whispered appreciatively in my ear, his body pressed hard against mine as I squirmed in his grasp, trying to break free. The hand around my throat tightened slightly, and my free hand flew up to grab it, attempting to pull his hand away. He tightened his grip even more and I began to choke.

"Stop struggling and I might not kill you." He said, grinning at me and slackening his grip slightly so I could breathe freely again. I glared up at him hatefully and then threw my head forwards in a fierce headbutt, which this time connected with his face, and I heard a loud satisfying crack as his head snapped backwards with the force of my blow. His hands had left my throat and wrist upon his impact with my skull, so I tried to make to run for the front door, but before I could he had straightened up and gave me one Hell of a backhander straight across my face. I cried out with more shock than pain and I was sent sprawling to the floor at his feet, dropping the knife as I went, tasting blood as it filled up in my mouth. Shakily, I raised a hand to my face and wiped my lips, crimson smears staining my skin.

"You stupid bitch!" Scott swore, his voice thicker and more nasal than usual. I looked up at him through my pale lavender locks and saw him clutching his nose with both hands, groaning in pain as blood slide through his fingers and down the back of his hands, "You broke my fucking nose!"

"I'll break more than that by the time I'm finished with you, you bastard!" I hissed from the floor. He snarled at me through his hands and then moved them away, and I was delighted to see his nose streaming blood down his face like a scarlet fountain. He squatted to my level and grabbed my chin tightly in one bloody hand, forcing my head back so I had no choice but to look at him.

"If you were anyone else, I would make sure you would pay for that this very moment, but I've got better things in store for you, my pretty."

"Fuck off you psychotic piece of shit!" I snarled, blood spilling from my lips. He scowled at me and grabbed a handful of my long hair, using it to drag me back to my feet and once again trap me between the wall and his body. And then his grin returned.

"You are so beautiful," he purred, his mouth against my throat, sending vibrations through my body. I growled threateningly, not bothering to waste my breath speaking to him. I felt his mouth twist into a smile against my flesh and he yanked at my hair again, forcing my head to one side so he had better access to more of my throat. His lips pressed soft butterfly kisses onto my neck, before then trailing his tongue up my throat and to my face. I shuddered at his touch and tried to struggle free once more, but he held me fast in his grip.

"Y'know, if I wanted to, I could take you right here, right now, against this wall, and no-one would ever know about it except you and me. Not even Alex. How does that sound, my pretty?" He whispered, his eyes bright with malice as he gazed into my own amethyst orbs. His face was mere centimetres from mine, and my skin involuntarily tingled each time his warm breath ghosted over me. I didn't answer and tried to turn my head away from him again, but he grabbed me by the chin once more, holding me steady. Y'know how I said I wasn't scared before? Well, I lied. There was no doubt in my mind that he would actually do what he said he would. He didn't seem the type to make empty threats without following them through. He smirked at my fearful silence and released his hold on my hair, letting his hand drop to hold me tightly by the shoulder, his grasp painful enough to remind me of the bruises I'd received from him in the alley.

"What's this? Have you given up already? Pathetic. Christ knows how you've managed to put up with him all those years." He taunted.

"What do you want?" I spat with false valour, ignoring his dagger-like mockery. He smiled evilly.

"Alex sent me." He said almost casually, and I froze, fresh fear twisting my insides with a grip of iron. "He said to tell you that he's on his way here. On his way back to find you."

"No… He can't…" I stammered, paling at his words.

"Don't worry, you've got loads of time yet. He wont be back for a few days yet, or maybe a few weeks. Or even, if you're lucky, a few months at the most. There's some business he needs to take care of first, and he doesn't know how long that will take. You should be thanking me that I came here to give you a heads up about it. Just imagine, a few weeks down the line, if you came home to find him sat here, in your apartment, waiting for you." He chuckled at the thought. "So if I were you, I'd make the most of every day from now until then, because you can bet your fine ass that he's gonna pick up where he left off, six months ago. I'm sure you remember."

Oh, did I ever. How the fuck could I forget? The worst fucking night of my life that I was unable to put out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.

Scott's smirk widened and he slowly licked away the blood that had dribbled down from my mouth, before placing a soft kiss against my crimson-stained lips. I made an attempt to pull away from him, but there was nowhere for me to go.

"Oh, and he also told me to tell you, don't try to run away, because if you do, he's gonna makes sure your friends pay for your stupidity. Probably with their lives. Personally, I hope he lets me toy with them before I kill them. I'll be wanting my fill of your blond friend again soon, and possibly the others too." His emerald eyes were bright with pure maniacal elation. I snarled at him.

"You harm one hair on their heads and I swear I will rip out your black heart with my bare hands!"

He cackled and released me, letting me drop back down the floor.

"I'd like to see you try, my pretty. Especially after Alex gets hold of you. Sayonara, sweetheart. No doubt I'll see you again before his return." He smirked down at me at his feet. "Maybe then you might've warmed up to me a little, yeah, pretty one?"

"Yeah, keep dreaming, asshole!" I replied, sneering through bloody lips. He shrugged and turned away from me, heading for the door.

"Where's Gracie?" I shouted after him, suddenly remembering my most faithful companion's disappearance. Scott paused and sneered back at me over his shoulder.

"Who? Oh, you mean the mutt? I shoved her in your wardrobe. Sedated her first, like, but she should be coming around now. See you around, my pretty." He chuckled and left, the front door slamming shut behind him.

I waited a few more minutes until I was sure he was truly gone, and then I breathed a deep sigh of relief and pulled myself up onto my feet, ignoring the small splatters of blood on the carpet and my shirt. I spotted the knife lying, abandoned, a few feet away from me, so I picked it up and put it down on the coffee table, leaving it behind as I left the living room and hurried into the bedroom, yanking open my wardrobe doors and dropping to my knees, throwing my arms around the stirring Border Collie.

"Gracie! You're okay!" I cried happily, burying my face into her glossy black fur as her amber eyes opened slowly and she lifted her head to blink at me drowsily. I moved my head back and stroked her ears softly. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her coat was flecked with blood, but then I realised it was my own, from my lip.

When her eyes had cleared and she was fully awake, she cast a fresh eye over me and whined sadly at my crimson-smeared face, her nose crinkling as though she smelt something foul when she sniffed at the parts of my skin where Scott had touched.

"It's ok," I soothed her, "I'm fine. He's gone now."

She growled in understanding and licked at my face, trying to clean the rest of the blood away. I smiled warmly at her concern, but pushed her away gently, standing up once more and heading for the mirror propped up on my dressing table, Gracie following.

I sat down and looked at my reflection in the mirror. It didn't look like me at all: skin ghostly pale and blood smeared all over, but it was unmistakably my face staring back at me.

I leaned forwards slightly, my fingers gently pressing at the source of my bleeding, wincing at the slight twinges of pain. Shit. That bastard's gone and bust my fucking lip. Great. Just fucking perfect. What am I going to say at school tomorrow? And what's Kaiba going to say when he sees me? As if he wasn't suspicious enough to start off with…

I moved away from the mirror, only to return moments later with a small bottle of antiseptic from the medicine cabinet in the kitchen and a cloth. Pouring some of the clear liquid onto the cloth, I started dabbing at my split lip, washing away the rest of the blood, hissing a little at the stinging pain. It was a pretty deep cut. No way would I be able to hide that with make-up in the morning. Fucking Hell! That stupid mother-fucking piece of shit!

Gracie whined again, ears drooping sadly at my obvious pain and I smiled down at her to show I was ok. I had to be careful when I was smiling in case I happened to accidentally reopen my cut up again, but I tried my best.

Try as I might, I couldn't stop Scott's words echoing around inside my skull. _"Alex sent me… On his way back to find you… Waiting… Don't try to run away… Your friends will pay for your stupidity… Probably with their lives… I'd like to see you try, especially after Alex gets his hands on you…"_

I wont let Alex or Scott hurt my friends. Never. I guess that's my problem: caring more about others than myself. Stupid, huh? Yeah, I suppose it is.

But at least it's my head on the block instead of theirs.

At least they don't have to go through everything I've had to go through.

Not if I can help it…

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**Cara: Ooooh!! Did you like? Please review for me please! Ta! Luvs yas all!**


	12. LieIns and Bitch Fights

**Cara: Ok people, this chapter you are about to read is the end product of the most infuriating case of Writer's Block in all of history. No joke.**

**Chiyo: Seriously, she had like SEVEN different versions of this chapter.**

**Cara: And I HATED every one of them. But this version's ok-ish. Well, I hope it is anyway. But you are the judges, not I!**

**Chiyo: Please read and review, ta, peoples.**

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Chapter 12:

It was morning, and the most irritating beeping noise in the universe stirred me from my peaceful dreams, so irritating that it was just downright impossible to ignore. Sunlight streamed into my room through the gap in the curtains of my window and I frowned, shutting my eyes tighter, cursing daylight and burrowing myself deeper down into my sheets, hissing like a vampire. I'm not much of a morning person, in case you hadn't already noticed.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep…_

Christ, that's annoying.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep…_

Really annoying.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep…_

Really, really annoying.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep…_

I growled, and my arm shot out from under my warm duvet, colliding with an object that was sat on my bedside drawers, sending said object crashing to the floor. Needless to say, the beeping noise stopped. I smiled sleepily and snuggled back down in my covers. Sweet silence. Heaven.

My eyes closed fully and I sighed contentedly, letting blissful sleep claim me once more…

* * *

Half an hour of sleep later, I vaguely heard the trees rustling outside my window through the midst of my slumber, but I ignored it and pulled my quilt tighter up around my chin…

Five minutes later, I thought I heard footsteps downstairs, but dismissed it again. I bet it was Gracie on the move after having just woken up herself. I shut my eyes again…

Two minutes later, I could've sworn I heard whispers and muffled giggles from the opposite side of my bedroom door. I rolled onto my side, mumbling curses at nothing in particular, still determined not to wake up. Nothing on this whole planet was worth me hauling my ass outta the divine warmth of my bed for. I cracked one eye open and glared blearily at the door. The noises I thought I could hear had stopped, so I smiled again and curled back up, hugging my duvet tighter, sighing contentedly as I drifted slowly back to sleep once more…

And then, of course, all Hell broke loose.

"RENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMI!!" Someone, (or many someones) yelled as the door crashed open with such force it practically unhinged itself from the frame. Jolted fully awake by the sudden uproar, I sat bolt upright in my bed, only to see a load of familiar multi-coloured blurs racing towards me.

"Holy shi-" I began, but I never managed to finish, because three of the blurs leaped on top of me, knocking all the air from my lungs. And then the other four flung themselves onto my bed too, roaring with laughter.

Thoroughly squashed, I gasped for breath, tugging at the first thing I could reach, which just so happened to be someone's leather-covered leg, but whose it was, I didn't have a clue.

"Air! I need air!" I cried, voice muffled by my half of my duvet and a mass of soft platinum blond hair. A face came into my vision briefly, pale with huge sparkling purple eyes, alive with joy and mischief.

Desperate to breathe, I rolled over, sending at least five of them flying from my bed, landing on the carpet with loud thuds and surprised yelps. The two remaining burst out into fresh peals of giggles as those on the floor swore and dragged themselves back to their feet. The two moved off me, and I sat up, gulping down oxygen like there was no tomorrow.

"Are you trying to fucking _kill_ me?!" I hissed, glaring at the seven around and on my bed, all wearing matching grins that practically stretched from ear to ear.

"Aw, come on, Rennie," Marik said, heaving his look-alike lover to his feet beside him, "We were just having a laugh."

He ducked as I lobbed my pillow at him.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?!" I snarled, but even I couldn't hold back a smile of my own. Bakura chuckled from my left, his arm around Ryou's neck, and Ryou's around his waist, looking for all the world like twins. They were sometimes mistaken for brothers, like Marik and Malik were, and Yami and Yugi too, just because they looked so eerily alike, though with significant differences, such as their height and features. But they could never pass as brothers for long. I mean, how many people do you see making out with their brother in public? Or worse, getting caught fucking your brother in the Janitor's closet at school? (Marik and Malik, guilty as charged.)

But then again, Yami and Yugi could still pass as brothers because they, as far as I know, are not in a relationship with each other. Yet. But I plan to change all that very soon! (Cue evil laughter)

"Rennie! Your lip's bleeding!" Yugi cried, all traces of laughter gone in seconds, his joyful face replaced with a worried expression. Curious, I pressed two fingers to my lip and pulled them away, red splodges decorating the tips. Great. Just brilliant.

"Oh." Was all I said, like it was no big deal, but Ryou pried himself free from Bakura's grip and moved towards me, his hands reaching forwards. I wanted to move away from his outstretched pale fingers, but I knew that would look a little suspicious, and they would know I was hiding something from them, so I stayed there and let his fingers touch my face, one hand holding my face steady and the other gently prodding the skin around my cut.

I winced a few times as his fingers got too close to my wound. His face was pretty close to mine and I could see his beautiful chocolate eyes gazing intently at my lip, barely blinking as he surveyed the damage. Ryou Bakura, future doctor of Domino.

"Did we do that?" Joey asked, sounding as worried and guilty as he and everyone else looked. His arm was still in a sling and his skin was still littered with bruises, as was mine. I smiled reassuringly over Ryou's shoulder, or rather I tried to, because Ryou had chosen that moment to dab at my cut with a handkerchief he'd just pulled from his pocket, so my reassuring smile came out more as a pained grimace. Very attractive.

"No, I did it yesterday." I said, trying not to move my lips too much as I spoke. Not the easiest of things to do, I'll tell you.

"How?"

"Tripped and fell up the stairs, didn't I?" I replied with half a smile. I'd come up with this excuse last night before I went to bed. Hey, it might not be the most original in the world, but it should work. Fingers crossed.

"Fell _up_ the stairs? How the Hell did you manage that?" Yami asked.

"I was running up the steps to the front door, and I tripped and fell forwards instead of backwards." I responded smoothly, my fake scenario sounding convincing even to my own ears. Y'know, to be honest, I had done something like that before, so I wasn't completely making it up. Much.

"Ouch," Yugi winced, imagining.

"Yep."

"Bet that hurt."

"Like a bitch."

Ryou's eyes flicked upwards and he locked eyes with me. It was obvious he could see straight through my lie, after having just examined my lip for himself. No doubt there would be a big difference between a cut caused by a concrete step, and one caused by the back of a hand. I gazed at him pleadingly, unseen by the others, silently begging him to not say anything. He looked agonised, his eyes swimming with concern, but I just put a gentle hand against his that held my face steady.

"I'll be ok, Ryou." I said, holding his hand in mine and lowering them both, moving them away from my face, "It's just a cut."

He nodded and moved away, back into Bakura's waiting arms, neatly folding up his bloodstained handkerchief and putting it back in his pocket.

"It's still bleeding a little, but it should stop soon." He said to me. I nodded and looked up at the others, who all looked pretty relieved knowing they hadn't caused GBH or anything.

"So. What are you all doing in my bedroom at this Godforsaken hour?" I asked. Their smiles returned.

"You know we usually come around to pick you up on our way to school, yeah?" Joey said, scratching at his blond locks absently, "Well, we knocked and you didn't answer, so I climbed the tree and looked in through your window, and you were still asleep."

"So then I picked the front door lock and let us in." Bakura finished, smiling proudly at his own breaking and entering skills. I scowled at him.

"Wonderful. I'd like to see you do that again, Bakura. Especially when I get a dead bolt fitted." He just smirked and bowed, accepting my challenge.

I rolled my eyes. And then I realised something.

"Wait. You said you came here to pick me up for school. That means…"

"You overslept. School starts in about fifteen minutes. We're gonna have to run if we want to get there before Mr Harris does, 'cause he'll chew our asses up for sure. Especially you, Renami." Malik said. I blinked at him.

"Why me?"

"Remember freshman year? You put thumbtacks on his chair."

"No I didn't!" I cried indignantly. Malik smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you did. As a dare. And he caught you, remember? Two weeks of detention and you got sent to the Head's office, yeah? Do you remember now?"

"Oh." I gulp, realisation dawning. "That."

"Yep."

I swore and stretched, yawning widely.

"How come you slept in?" Joey asked, "Haven't you got an alarm or something?"

I glanced over the side of the bed, and looked down at the mangled mess of broken plastic on the carpet.

"Um… I did have an alarm… Up until about forty-five minutes ago."

I grinned at them guiltily, then threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. All but one of them groaned when I surfaced, whilst the one remaining, Yugi, jumped up and punched the air happily.

"Yes! I was right! Pay up, guys!" He crowed, beaming from ear to ear. I looked at him, confused, as the others fished in their pockets for their money and handed them over to him, muttering angrily.

"Care to enlighten me?" I asked as Yugi checked the bills, folded them up and put them in his back pocket. He smiled at me.

"We all made a bet about what we thought you'd wear in bed. And I guessed right. An oversized shirt and men's boxers."

I looked down at myself. A Slipknot shirt, two sizes too big and a pair of men's black boxers. Hey, I don't care what I wear to bed. Usually it's the first thing I grab when I'm searching through my drawers, be it actual nightwear or not. I'm a freak, ok?

"They laughed when I said that, but I was right!" he smiled. I rolled my eyes, knowing I would deeply regret what I was about to say.

"What did you bet?"

"A pair of cute, girly PJs." Ryou said.

"Bra and pants." Bakura shrugged.

"Shorts and a top." Yami replied.

"Just a nightdress." Malik said.

"Kinky knickers." Joey winked.

"Nothing." Marik grinned, licking his lips and earning an elbow in the ribs from Malik. I curled my lip in disgust.

"You would, perv!"

"And proud!" Marik smirked. I rolled my eyes again and moved to the window, throwing the curtains fully open and letting the morning sunlight stream into the room. It was already warm out. I could feel the heat seeping through the window. Yawning again, I moved away from the window and to my wardrobe, reaching in and picking out my uniform. I made to pull my shirt over my head, but then remembered two things. One, the guys were still in the room, and no doubt watching at me, and two, my scars, which I didn't really want to reveal to them just yet.

I turned around and glared.

"What're you waiting for? Get lost, I'm getting dressed here, in case you haven't noticed."

They laughed and retreated from my room. Ryou was the last to leave, and he waited a moment until the others had gone downstairs out of earshot. Then he came back into the room.

"Renami. What happened?" he asked, his voice soft and low. I turned and looked at him, contemplating whether or not to tell him. I could trust Ryou. I knew that. But I didn't want him being dragged into anything that could put him in any danger. Telling him would no doubt make matters worse for everyone, so he's better off not knowing. They all are.

"It doesn't matter, Ryou. Just forget about it." I said, avoiding his questioning gaze, feeling guilty as Hell.

"But, Renami…" He began, but I cut across him before he could finish.

"Look, Ryou. Forget about it. Nothing's wrong. Leave it at that. Please." I said. I turned to face him, and he stared back, shock and concern brimming in his expressive bambi eyes. I hated it when he looked at me like that. It made me feel so bad it was unbelievable, and I felt like confessing everything to him, but I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself spilling my guts out to him.

"But if there's something wrong, we can help you…"

"No. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. Everything's fine." I replied. Ryou stared at me for a few seconds, his gaze surveying me intently, as though he was trying to find out the truth from my eyes. Then he broke eye contact, turned and head for the door. I turned back around to face my wardrobe again.

"Ryou?" I said, just before he left the room. He paused, one hand on the door handle, and looked back at me over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Don' t tell the others. Please, Ryou. Promise me you won't say a word to them about this." I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper. He was silent for a moment.

"I won't. I promise." he said. And then he left me one my own once more. I sighed and moved away from my wardrobe, plonking my ass down heavily in front of my dressing table, staring steadily at my reflection, grimacing slightly at my split lip.

This wasn't good. Too many people are getting too close to finding out about what happened to me, and they all worried me, but no one worried me as much as Kaiba was. He was so close to uncovering the truth he could practically taste it, even if he didn't realise just how close he was. And if he does work it out, I won't be the only one in danger…

* * *

Isn't it just my luck that on the first day back at school after the weekend of Hell, I'd end up stood outside the Head's office only two hours into school time? Well, guess what. Here I was, thoroughly pissed off and seething with anger, waiting for him to call me in and give me the verbal ass-kicking of a lifetime. Just my luck. Just my fucking luck. I can honestly say that I am living proof that life is a bitch, and it seems to hate me more than others. Oh joy.

Scowling, I kicked a random dust-covered two pence coin from where it had been residing at my feet, sending it shooting across the polished corridor tiles, bouncing off the wall and disappearing under the lockers, never to be seen again. This did nothing to improve my mood, but it made me feel a bit better by venting my anger on that instead of a wall or someone's head. I grunted in slight satisfaction and crossed my arms moodily over my chest, leaning back against the wall and glowering at the wall in front of me, my eyes so fierce they were practically burning twin holes through the concrete.

Ok, let me just clear something up here. Absolutely NONE of this was my fault! I swear! I know that's one of the oldest excuses in the book, but it's true! I really wasn't responsible this time. Honestly. It was just the fact that I am one of the most unluckiest people in the universe combined with being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As usual. In fact, it was more like in the _right _place at the _right_ time, because if I hadn't been there and intervened, things would've probably been a whole lot worse.

The real person to blame was Tea Gardner, a blue-eyed brunette in my year who is more commonly known as the school whore, having bedded a grand total of fifteen people last term alone. Of both sexes. Who knows what the score is now, but I bet its more than twenty, put it that way. And Tea's promiscuities were kinda the reason I was stood out here right now, awaiting my fate with the Head. She should be stood out here, not me! You want to know why? Well, she'd got her radar on, if you get what I mean, and she'd firmly locked onto her target for the day, which just so happened to be the sweet, shy Yugi Mutou.

She'd made sure to time her moment just right, so she'd got him on his own and he didn't have any of the guys to help protect him from her. She was keeping her eyes on the prize, determined to add his name to her ever-growing list. Poor Yugi, he didn't have a chance on his own, but luckily I had been there just in time to stop the scheming witch before she could work her charms on him.

First lesson for Yugi was History, which was the only lesson he had without any of the guys, but since I got moved into his History class last term, he's managed much better with someone to talk to, because let's face it, Yugi's got about as much confidence as a gnat, bless him. He's ok with me around though, and I gotta admit, being with Yugi makes History a Hell of a lot more fun than it would've been without him. I just find it amusing when it came to the topic of Ancient Egypt and he knows more about it than the teacher does! But another person who got moved into this class with me just so happened to be the one, the only, Tea Gardner. And she made sure to use Yugi's lack of fellow male support to her advantage, obviously not judging me as a threat. Boy, she sure got _that_ wrong! And trust me, she won't be making that mistake ever again.

When the bell sounded and we all left for second period, our teacher Miss Thomas called me back to talk about some coursework I'd handed in, so I told Yugi to go and I'd catch up with him later. He'd left with a wave and his usual sunny smile on his face, and I grinned and waved back, wondering how the Hell all the goodness and innocence in the world could be combined in just one single human being like him.

Luckily for Yugi, Miss Thomas's talk had been brief, so I'd left the classroom just in time to witness Tea pressing Yugi up against his locker, trapping him there with her body, her hands caressing his face gently as she stared seductively down into his horror-filled violet eyes.

"Come on, Yugi. Don't lie to me. I know you want me." She purred in his ear, and I saw her tongue flick against his earlobe as she spoke. Anger rose up inside me like a kettle boiling and I clenched my fists together so hard that my knuckles turned white and my fingernails nearly broke through the skin of my palms.

"P-Please Tea, l-l-let me g-go…" Yugi pleaded, totally overpowered by the taller, stronger, manipulative female. She smirked at him, teasing her fingers through his wild tri-coloured bangs.

"Why should I? I just want to have a little bit of fun, that's all." She giggled. Then her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Poor little Yugi. All alone with no-one to protect you." She tutted, shaking her head, a sneer on her face, "Such a pity."

And then she leaned forwards abruptly, crashing her lips against his in a painful bruising kiss, probing the inside of his mouth with her tongue as his head slammed back against the cold metal with the force. Yugi squeaked in shock, tears streaming down his cheeks, trying desperately to pull away from her. Tea only smirked wider and kissed him, if possible, even harder and more ferociously than she had before. Unable to stand it any more, I marched up to her, murder in my eyes.

"Get your filthy hands off him, Gardner." I growled, low in my throat, vaguely aware of the pain in the palm of my hands where my nails were digging in. Tea broke away from poor Yugi, and he gasped for air like there was no tomorrow, tears still making slick tracks down his face. Tea glared at me as I approached, and then she sneered.

"What are you gonna do about it, Safiya? It's not like you can stop me." She smirked and then dragged Yugi back towards her waiting lips. Her hands started wandering up the side of his legs and were now groping for his ass, in an attempt to pull him closer, but she never got there, because suddenly she was viciously torn away from Yugi by a handful of her short brown hair, which I had twisted around my fist in a vice-like grip.

"I told you to get the Hell off him, Gardner." I hissed venomously as she cried out in pain and swiped at my hand tangled in her brown locks, but I just tightened my hold, giving no mercy. Hey, bitches like Tea Gardner need putting in there place every once in a while, I mean, they're forever prancing around the school, acting like they own the place, looking down their noses at people who weren't like them. Trust me, I've borne the brunt of many bimbo jokes over the years, usually about my height and my short temper and stuff like that. They don't so much anymore because A, I'm with my guys like ninety-nine percent of the time, and they don't dare to say anything when they've got Joey, Yami, Marik and Bakura glaring at them over my shoulder, and B, I can get them back twice as hard as they got me, as I've proved on multiple occasions, and the results hadn't been pretty, that's for sure.

"Get the fuck off me Safiya, or so help me I'll…" She began, but I once again tightened my grip on her hair, cutting off her threat with a fresh yelp of pain.

"You'll what, exactly?" I asked sweetly, looking down at her, "You'll get the rest of your slut cronies on me? Huh, well, you go do that, but if I were you, I'd stay the fuck away from us, because I don't think Yami and the guys are gonna be too impressed when I let them know what you tried to do to Yugi, are they?"

Tea snarled angrily at me, but she couldn't stop the flicker of fear that darted across her blue eyes. I smiled. Gotcha.

I released the handful of hair and she fell away from me, not expecting me to let go. She cursed as she straightened herself and brushed down her clothes, glaring at me. I watched her impassively, body tensed for round two if she went for to finish off what she started with Yugi, who was rubbing the tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket. I turned to him.

"You ok, Yug?" I asked. He nodded, fiercely wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to get rid of the taste of Tea's lips.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." I smiled at him. "Let's get outta here."

We made to skirt around Tea, but it was obvious that she couldn't let this go and lashed out at Yugi, who was closest to her, her sharp, manicured talons leaving four shallow gouges in his flesh, which began to bleed as soon as they arrived. Yugi cried out, and Tea started laughing, that is, until I'd wrapped my fingers around her throat and slammed her back against the same lockers she'd trapped Yugi against moments earlier.

"Do that again, and I'll make sure you'll leave here limping." I snarled, sticking up for my sweet little Yugi again without a second's hesitation. I'm always like that. I'm generally a nice girl, trying my best at getting along with others, but when my friends are in trouble or whatever, I'm the first at their sides to help haul their asses out of it. Either that, or driving my fist into the face of whoever's doing the trouble causing at that moment in time. You wouldn't think it to look at me, but I do get into fights often. Usually with girls like Tea. Not so many with the guys, because practically all of them are big enough to swat me aside with one hand if they wanted to, but yeah, I'm a bitch when it comes to bitch fights. Surprised? Yeah, the guys were too when they first met me. And the teachers. Christ, I've lost count of how many times I've been sent to the Head's office in the past few years for fighting. Looks can be deceiving, I suppose.

My hand dropped from Tea's neck and I stepped back, making sure to keep Yugi behind me, just in case. Tea gasped for breath and then glared at me hatefully.

"You'll pay for this, Safiya." She hissed, her eyes bright with malice as she strode past me with an angry flip of her brown hair, trying to get out of my firing line as quickly as possible, but at the same time trying to preserve what was left of her dignity. Then she stopped at the end of the corridor and looked back over her shoulder, a sneer on her lips.

"By the way, Safiya. Who bust your lip? Because whoever it was, I want to send them flowers." She smirked. I growled and took a threatening step forwards and she whipped around the corner out of sight and reach with speed that would've shamed an Olympian athlete.

"Bitch." I muttered, letting my fists relax by my sides before pulling Yugi back in front of me and bending down a little to survey the damage. The cuts on his face were thankfully shallow and had already stopped bleeding, so I used the sleeve of my blouse to wipe away the blood and tears from his cheeks.

"Thank you, Renami." Yugi said quietly, standing obediently still as I sluiced off his wounds.

"Always happy to help, babe." I replied with a smile. He smiled back, if still a little teary. When I'd finished, I straightened back up, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, pressing my lips gently against the scratches. "Kiss it better, yeah?"

He nodded, and fresh tears fell from his eyes. He tried to wipe them away quickly before I could see, but I caught him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's up Yugi? She's gone, you're ok now." I said worriedly, wondering if she had done something else to him before I came out of the classroom and intervened. If she had, she was so dead meat the next time I saw her.

"S-s-she stole m-my first k-k-kiss." He wept, throwing himself forwards and into my arms, hugging me tightly as he buried his face into my chest, sobbing.

"Oh, Yugi." I sighed, close to tears myself at Yugi's sadness, "Don't cry. It'll be ok, Little One. Don't cry." I was soothing him as best I could, but the main thing that was circling my mind was as many painful ways I could get back that whore Tea Gardner.

Ok, so after all that crap happened and Yugi had finally calmed down, we'd gone to second period, English, and Yugi was explaining to the guys why we were late and what had happened in the corridor. He was only halfway through, and Yami already looked set to murder somebody, (three guesses who), but before Yugi had even finished talking, there was a knock at the classroom door, and in came one of the Head's assistants, asking for me and saying that the Head wanted to see me immediately, if not sooner.

I gotta admit, I had no idea why he wanted me, because as far as I'm concerned, the only people who saw what happened after first lesson was me, Yugi and the whore herself, but when I walked past where she was sitting at the front, she gaze me a wink and a knowing smirk, which left no doubt in my mind what she'd done. She'd grassed on me, the stupid fucking bitch. Perfect. Just fucking perfect. I was so screwed.

And now I'm here, waiting to be graced with the almighty Head's presence. And with my temper still so dangerously close to the surface, I could already see that this wasn't going to end pretty.

Giving a sigh of mixed exasperation and boredom, I slid down the wall, coming to rest sitting on the polished floor, head against my knees as I tapped out a random rhythm on the tiles with my fingernails. I thought he wanted to see me the moment I arrived, but I'd been waiting out here well over ten minutes, so I was beginning to doubt if he'd actually sent for me or not. Right. If he doesn't show in the next five minutes, then I'm gone. I mean it. Seriously, if he can't be bothered to speak with me when he'd gone and summoned me to his office, then he can just…

Footsteps. Heading towards me. I should get back to my feet, just in case it is the Head, but I'm just not in the mood, so I stayed where I was, head still buried into my knees. The footsteps got louder as they got closer, then rounded the corner and I could sense, even with my eyes shut, that they'd stopped in front of me. I tensed up, waiting for the bollocking of a lifetime from the loud gruff voice of our beloved Head.

"Safiya. In your rightful place, I see."

My eyes flew open and my head flung back as I looked up in shock to find the source of the voice which was so obviously not the Head's. Icy sapphire eyes glared back at me. _Kaiba._ I gaped up at him and then blinked in confusion as I replayed what he'd just said in my mind.

"What d'you mean?"

"You're at my feet, where you and the rest of the world should be." Kaiba sneered. My confusion turned into anger in a split second and I scrambled to my feet, meeting his challenge with a fierce glare of my own. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed my split lip, but said nothing of it. A good thing, too, because I'm sure I would've completely lost it with him if he had. Short temper plus Seto Kaiba equals big explosion and mass destruction. Not a good combination, as combinations go.

"Don't start with me Kaiba, I'm not in the mood. I'm having the mother of crap days and I don't need you to make everything worse, ok? So just leave me alone, would you?" I growled, turning away from him and leaning back against the wall, arms folded and eyes closed, my eyebrows furrowed into a frown. I waited for him to start one of his favourite slanging matches with me, or even walk away from me with a sweep of his long white trench coat, but to my surprise, he did neither, instead choosing to lean back against the wall beside me himself.

Opening my eyes, I looked quizzically at him, wondering what he was doing, or what he was _about_ to do. If he even dared kiss me or tried to strip me again, he'd find my foot would impact firmly with his groin with enough force to break through solid steel. Ouch.

"What do you want?" I asked him after a few minutes of silence, curiosity getting the better of me. He switched his gaze to me, his face unsurprisingly impassive and stony, as usual. He remained silent, so I shrugged and turned away again, wishing he'd fuck off and leave me alone for once instead of being a constant pain in the ass. I can honestly say that Seto Kaiba was put on this Earth for no other reason than to piss me off, I swear. That's the only reason he exists, I'm sure.

"Mokuba wants to see you again." He said, breaking the silence.

"That's sweet of him." I respond, not turning around. In all honesty, I would love to see that adorable little cherub Mokie again, but there was no way I could with his ice statue of a demon brother in the way.

"He wants you to come over tonight."

"And I bet you had something to say about that, didn't you, Kaiba?" I said, absently examining the fingernails of my right hand, wondering why he was telling me this and where he was going with it.

"Yes. I did." Kaiba replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure. I thought you might."

"Meet me at the limo at the end of school."

My mouth all but plummeted through the polished tiles at my feet. _What the-? _He couldn't have surprised me more if he'd have said he was about to give away everything he owned and become a nun. Or a monk, whatever.

I whirled around to see him already walking away from me.

"W-w-wait!" I cried after him, mentally cursing myself for stammering. He stopped but didn't turn around to face me.

"What?"

"You really want me to come over? You really mean it?" I said, eyes wide with shock. He half-turned so I could see one of his eyes and half his mouth.

"Why not?" He said, his smirk clearly visible from where I stood. And then, before I could say anything else, he turned away again and swept away down the corridor, around the corner and out of sight. I stared after him, still gawping even though he'd already vanished out of sight.

I shook my head, clearing away the complete and utter astonishment at what had just happened in the last few minutes. I had heard him right, hadn't I? I couldn't have. There was just no way on this planet that Kaiba would just… was there? I was filled with stomach churning confusion and uncertainty, but there was also a bit of excitement in there too. I'd never been inside a mansion before, and I was about to be one of the few people to ever set foot inside the mansion of the Seto Kaiba, teenage gaming company extraordinaire, envied by businessman twice his age with half as much power, lusted over by practically every woman on earth, with the exception of me, of course. I just can't understand why so many people like him. Ok, sure, if he'd smile every once in a while and just never talked, then maybe he'd be one damn hot guy. I could kinda see where those girls are coming from, judging by the appearance of the teenage CEO. Pale alabaster skin, tall lean physique with sinewy muscles, luscious chestnut brown locks, amazing cerulean eyes, nice ass in those figure-hugging leather pants… ok, you get the picture, but I could never in a million years fall in love with Kaiba. Never. Maybe because I know his personality better than his adoring fans since I'm the usual one of the receiving end of his icy sarcasm and cold glares that the general public don't get a taste of. Lucky for some, isn't it?

But then again, the upside of going to Kaiba's mansion was that I'd get to hang out with his amazingly angelic younger brother and I'd also have something to brag about to the Kaiba Fan Girls, wouldn't I?

And anyway, what's the worst that could possibly happen?

* * *

**Chiyo: Can I just say that this chapter is like over 6000 words long!? Holy Hell, the longest by far, yes?**

**Cara: Well, I dunno. I thought chapter eight was longer.**

**Chiyo: Really? Let's check. –Gets out chapter planner-**

**Cara: Well?**

**Chiyo: Nope. You were right. Chapter eight's longer.**

**Cara: HA! IN YOUR FACE!!**

**Chiyo: -growls- Shut up now, if you know what's best.**

**Cara: Whatever, Yami. You couldn't hurt your precious Hikari now, could you?**

**Chiyo: Don't tempt me.  
****  
Cara: -ignores her Yami- Anyways, please review for me! I love hearing from you all! Review please! **


	13. This Innocence is Brilliant

**Cara: God, it's been AGES since we've updated this!**

**Chiyo: Yeah, all of about two weeks. Not exactly ages.**

**Cara: It's been way too long! I really need to start updating this every week!**

**Chiyo: Yeah, well, good luck with that.**

**Cara: …Hey, can I ask you peoples something? Y'know Renami, does she seem a bit of a Mary Sue to you?**

**Chiyo: She can't be, not with all the shit YOU put her through in EACH and EVERY FREAKING CHAPTER!!**

**Cara: I was just wondering, because I was reading something about a Mary Sue character and it got me thinking…**

**Chiyo: Always a bad sign.**

**Cara: Anyways, it doesn't matter! On with chapter 13!**

**Chiyo: Let's chuck a disclaimer in here, just for luck. Ok, we, PrincessNala, do not own ANYTHING of YuGiOh, no matter how much we might want to, and we don't own the song **_**"Innocence" **_**by Avril Lavigne either. Ok? Right, read on and review for us, ta.**

* * *

Chapter 13:

A horrific bloodcurdling scream echoed around the room, the agonised gales piercing my eardrums. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut and biting my lip to stop myself joining in with the screaming, I kept my face hidden by the cushion in my hands, not daring to look up just in case I decided to projectile vomit all over the place.

Meanwhile, Mokuba was sat there beside me, eyes fixed forwards, blinking steadily, his quiet chuckling barely audible over the woman's banshee screams. When the screaming had stopped, Mokuba shoved several pieces of popcorn into his mouth and then turned to me to offer me some. And that's when he noticed that I had a cushion instead of a head.

"What's the matter Renami? Are you scared?" He asked innocently. I moved the cushion away so I could see him and he gazed up at me with those beautiful, beautiful deep indigo bambi eyes, his head tilted to one side. Sharp kid. Doesn't miss a trick. Definitely a Kaiba. No doubt about it.

"Me? Scared? Nah!" I scoffed with mock bravado, and then another loud scream erupted from the plasma screen, causing me to "Eep!" in shock and dive straight back behind the cushion. Mokuba laughed loudly, clutching at his sides, the bowl of popcorn perched precariously on his lap, dangerously close to falling off. I scowled at him from behind the cushion.

"Not funny." I said sulkily, pressing the cushion tighter against my face in a bid to block out all sights and sounds. Mokuba laughed again, but this wasn't the adorable high pitched laugh from moments ago, oh no, this was a true evil Kaiba laugh, like the one that his older brother used frequently, (usually when in my company), and the smaller Kaiba leaned over and touched the volume button on the remote, turning it up so much louder that it was just damn impossible to block out. Jesus Christ, what had I got myself into here? This was certainly not what I'd expected to be doing, nu uh, no way! And yet, here I was.

Well, I guess it was my own stupid fault, but what was I supposed to do when the most sweetest angel of a kid in history comes pelting towards me the moment I step through the front door and he glomps me so hard that it almost sends us both crashing to the floor, and then lifts his head from where he'd lovingly buried it into my stomach, (because that's the highest place he can reach since he's a little on the short side, bless him, but no doubt he'll be hit with the Kaiba growth spurt when he reaches his teens), and says in his sweet angelic voice: "Wanna come watch a movie with me, Pretty Renami?"

So you see I had no choice but to say yes and follow him into the lounge, leaving Seto in the hall with a knowing smirk on his face, but I ignored the elder Kaiba, content on spending as much time as possible with the younger Kaiba who was dragging me along by the hand towards the couch and rather large plasma TV screen. Holy Hell! I didn't know they even _made_ TVs that big!! I really need to get out more, don't I?

Y'know, when Mokuba had asked me if I wanted to watch something with him, I'd got myself all psyched up for something random but cool like Spongebob Squarepants, or whatever, but that was so not what happened. Let's just say that ten minutes into the movie of Mokuba's choice, and I was shitting fucking minivans, and he was laughing. Seriously. Laughing. I swear, this kid may look cute, but he's completely tapped in the head. You wanna know why? The film that sweet innocent little Mokuba Kaiba had chosen was none other than Saw 4. No joke. Saw 4. Saw fucking 4! How old was this kid again? And he was fucking laughing at it!! All I could think about was 'What the Hell is this kid on, and who's his dealer?' because I sure want a handful of whatever drugs he was so obviously high on! There was no way a little kid like him could laugh at the horrific death sequences like those on Saw 4, not unless they were off their heads or related to someone like Marik or Bakura. Or, better yet, if they actually _were_ Marik or Bakura. Those two are so twisted upstairs it's a bloody wonder how Ryou and Malik cope with them. According to Ryou, Bakura likes his meat raw. What sort of sane person would like that?! I mean, it practically moos at him when he bites into it! How the Hell does Ryou manage with him? I know I wouldn't be able to. I barely keep my grip of sanity with just being _friends_ with Bakura and Marik, never mind actually being in a relationship with them as their lovers were. The sex must be pretty damn good, that's all I have to say.

"Mokuba, you're killing me here!" I groaned, still not surfacing from my cushionified sanctuary. I could barely hear my own voice over the screaming, ripping, tearing, gushing, splattering and every other horrific murderous disgusting sound in the world all crammed into about twenty seconds of this one scene.

"Oh, come on Renami! This is so funny! Look, look, watch! This is a good bit!" Mokuba urged me, tugging at my cushion which I instantly doubled my hold of with a growl.

"No way! This is _sick!_"

"No, it's not! It's funny how fake it is. I mean, look at all the blood there. Do you really think it'd gush out in that way if that happened in real life? It so wouldn't! That's what makes it so funny!" Mokuba giggled, and he somehow managed to tear the cushion out of my grip. I gave another yelp and instantly slapped my hands over my eyes, wishing with every fibre of my being that I had four arms so I could cover up my ears too.

"You are way too young to be watching this, Mokie!" I cried, trying to turn up the music in my head to block out the demonic sounds echoing through the surround sound, "Hell, _I'm_ too young to be watching this!"

"I'm not too young! I'll be twelve in a few months. And anyway, my big brother says I can watch it." Mokuba protested indignantly, pushing more popcorn into his mouth as he spoke. Forgetting my fear, I turned to face him, hands dropping from eyes wide with shock.

"Wait. Kaiba actually _lets_ you watch this?"

"Yup. He says I can watch whatever I want. He nearly never comes in here, so the lounge is _my_ room. Seto doesn't mind. He's always upstairs in his office, working. He works all the time." Mokuba's shoulders dropped slightly and he looked down at the bowl of popcorn in his hands sadly. "I wish he didn't. I know this sounds weird because he's always around, and we live in the same house, but I don't see my brother as much as I want to."

Ignoring the TV, I reached over and laid one of my hands over his comfortingly, my other hand brushing away a few stray locks of his long hair so I could see his face.

"It doesn't sound weird, Mokie. Have you spoken to Seto about this?" I asked. He looked up at me in panic.

"No! I don't want to say anything in case he doesn't like it. He never used to be like this. When we were a lot younger, before Gozuburo took us in, things were so much better. Me and Seto were like this," He crossed his index and middle finger together to demonstrate. "No one could keep us apart and we spent so much time together, playing games, hanging out and stuff like that. But then Gozuburo came along and changed everything. He changed Seto. And even now Gozuburo's gone, Seto's still different. I don't want him to be different! I want my old brother back!"

Tears had sprung up in his eyes and, without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close, holding him to me and stroking his hair soothingly, softly humming a calming tune, the one that my mom used to sing to comfort me and my sister Zahra when we were sad. Y'know, even though I was totally used to having people crying on me, little Mokuba really took me by surprise. I mean, I hardly know the kid, and he's already in my arms, crying his heart out and spilling his secrets to me. Secrets he'd obviously kept locked up inside for a very long time.

After a few minutes, he'd stopped crying and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper, sniffling slightly. Then he gazed up at me almost pleadingly.

"Can you help him, Renami? Can you bring my brother back? Please help me. I want the real Seto back. Please."

I looked down at him, feeling my heart pang with sympathy as I stared into his tear-streaked face. I've never felt so much pity for one person in my entire life, despite me and him barely knowing each other for very long. I mean, we only met a few nights ago, and I could already tell that he trusts me completely. And the one thing he's trusting me to do is borderline impossible for me. Sure, I'd love to help him out and bring him back the brother he once knew, the brother that was so obviously like a father to him, but there were just two tiny problems with this: One, his brother just so happens to be Seto Kaiba, and two, me and Seto Kaiba hate each other's guts so much that it's practically religion for us to be at each other's throats. We can't even stay in a room together for ten seconds without starting an argument with each other. I'd love to help, but… I couldn't see _how._

"Mokuba, I…" I started to tell him that it was just physically impossible that I could do anything to help bring the real Seto Kaiba back, but then I got caught up in the full intensity of those wide indigo bambi eyes. "I… I'll do what I can."

Mokuba's face split into a relieved smile and he hugged me tighter, surprising me by planting a small kiss on my cheek in thanks.

"Thank you, Renami. I knew I could count on you to help me!" he said happily.

"Hey, hey, no promises, mind. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to do it, because I don't think there's a single person in the world that Kaiba hates more than me. But I'll try. For you." I said, standing up from the sofa and stretching widely, making sure to keep my back to the TV screen. Mokuba blinked up at me.

"What're you doing?" He asked.

"You wanted me to help talk some sense into Kaiba, so I'm gonna do it. Even though I probably won't make much difference. That guy's so far up his own ass…" I said, scratching the side of my neck absently. Mokuba blinked again.

"What? You're going to talk to him now?"

"No time like the present."

"Aren't you gonna stay and wait until the film's finished?"

"No chance! I'm not even gonna stay to watch another five minutes of that gory crap! And besides, I have my own, um, _issues_ I need to sort out with Kaiba as soon as I can. See you in a bit, Mokie." I said, ruffling his shock of long blue-tinted ebony tresses and skirting around the sofa as quick as possible, but with as much nonchalance as I could muster so I didn't run for it as yet another scream erupted from the speakers. Saw 4. I still couldn't believe a kid like Mokuba would actually even consider watching something like that. I know I wouldn't have had the guts at his age. Hell, I still didn't have the guts to watch it now and I'm seventeen years old, for Christ's sake!

I left the lounge, stepping out into the large entrance hall I'd first arrived into and I looked around at the many doors surrounding me, wondering where the Hell I was supposed to be going. I suppose I could've asked for directions from Mokie, but I'd feel like a right idiot, so I decided to look for Kaiba's office myself. God help me. In fact, no. Not God help me. God help _him_ when I get my hands on him! Oh, he better get ready for the bollocking of his lifetime, because I was so fired up to clash heads with him, as usual. And now I had Mokuba's promise to fulfil as well as wanting my own questions answered, I can just say I would really hate to be Seto Kaiba right now…

* * *

"Kaiba! Open this door! I know you're in there! Don't you dare ignore me, you asshole! Open this damn door!" I bellowed, hammering my fist against the sturdy oak door of his office, my temper raising it's ugly head more and more as the minutes passed by. Oh for the love of God! After all the time I'd spent actually trying to find this damn office, the least he could do is actually let me in, instead of ignoring me as he was doing.

I hadn't been able to find this place at first, and somehow ended up in one of the many spare bedrooms up on the second floor, only to be mercifully saved by a small, shy redhead maid named Ana, who pointed me in the right direction when she came into the room and found me sprawled on the floor when I'd tripped over the rug and ended up with a faceful of beige carpet moments before she entered. She looked a little surprised to see me, and even more shocked still when I dragged myself back to my feet, muttering some of the worst swearwords ever invented, but was more than happy to help me out. She was a real sweet girl, bless her. I think she was only about fifteen or sixteen. In fact, I'm sure I've seen her around Domino High once or twice before. Hey, at least she's got a job. Unlike me.

"Don't make me force my way in, Kaiba, because I swear I'm seconds away from breaking this fucker down and coming in there to shove my foot so far up your ass you won't be sitting down in any business meetings for the next week!" I hollered, pounding on the door with both fists now, furious at being ignored. "Open this fucking door!!"

"Why don't you try the handle?" a voice said from behind me, and I just about jumped a mile up into the air with shock before whirling around to confront the smartass newcomer. And then I noticed familiar hazel eyes.

"What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" I gasped, my hand clasped to my chest in an effort to slow down my furiously thumping heart. Rehema chuckled, tossing her head so her beautiful curls flew over her shoulder in a shimmering cascade of chocolate brown. Very L'Oréal, I'm sure.

"No. I just heard a lot of shouting coming from up here so I came to investigate." She said, giggling at me, "And I gotta admit, I'm not at all surprised to find you up here, Renami."

I blinked at her owlishly.

"And why's that?"

"Not many people other people in this mansion would have the balls to be shouting at Mister Kaiba. And I heard about Mokuba asking Seto if you could come over." She said offhandedly, absently examining her nails from where they rested on top of her huge swollen stomach. She looked up at me. "But I am surprised that he actually agreed to it."

I sighed and leant back against the door, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You and me both." I replied. We stood together in comfortable silence for a moment and then Rehema focused back on the door I was leaning against.

"What are you doing, anyway?" she asked, head tilted on one side quizzically.

"I want to talk to Kaiba, but he's not letting me in." I responded, flinging my foot back and 'accidentally' kicking the door behind me, rattling the oak against its frame, "And yes, before you ask, I have already tried the handle."

Rehema grinned and then grasped the handle to check, jiggling it from left to right.

"It's locked." She said. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I said sarcastically, and Rehema's grin widened. I straightened up from the door and started banging on it again, my voice getting louder as my temper rose.

"KAIBA!! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!!" I roared, wishing I was strong enough to just break the door down by running at it and attacking it with my shoulder, y'know, like they do in the movies, but obviously if I raged war against the solid oak in front of me, I would be the one curled up on the floor in severe pain when the dust cleared. It was hurting me enough by just pounding on it with my fists! But maybe a well-placed kick might just do the trick…

Rehema watched me back away from the door to prepare to kick the shit out of it, an amused smile on her face.

"Mister Kaiba isn't going to like you vandalising his property." She said casually. I glanced at her.

"Yeah, well, Kaiba's got more important things to worry about, like how he's gonna survive a firm kick in the nuts from my trusty Converse sneakers!" I growled and backed off a little more, choosing the point of impact on the door where my foot would shortly be meeting. Y'know, this approach wasn't really one of my best ideas, as I soon figured out when I ran at it and kicked with all my might and strength and then hopped away, howling in sheer bloody agony as I clutched at my poor abused foot, and my leg had seemed to have gone numb from the knee down. Sweet Mary, mother of Jesus! You have no idea how much that bloody HURT!! I could even feel tears of pain welling up in my eyes, and I blinked furiously to get rid of them. Stupid fucking door! Stupid fucking Kaiba and his stupid fucking solid oak door! The stupid fucking solid oak door that was still standing, with not even a scratch in the fucking paintwork! I swear, there is no God. Or if there is, I must've really pissed him off sometime in a past life or something, because I think I'm the most cursed human being on the whole damn planet!

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, fucking ow!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rehema laughing at me. She was completely in stitches, bent over double she was laughing that hard. It would've been quite amusing to watch her huge stomach bounce up and down as she laughed, but I wasn't really in the mood for laughing, thanks to a rather large pain spreading from my big toe and all the way up my leg.

"Oh my god! That was hilarious! You actually thought you'd be able to kick your way through? You crack me up, Renami, you really do!" She giggled, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes as she spoke. I said nothing in reply, except pausing in my agonised hopping to give her a death glare which was so eerily similar to the one Kaiba always gives me whenever we happen to see each other.

"You could've bloody told me that it wouldn't work _before_ I actually did it!" I snarled, feeling pretty hostile. Rehema straightened up, still chuckling softly, her hands smoothing out her dress as she looked at me, laughter-lines slightly creasing the skin around her eyes.

"And ruin all the fun?" she inquired innocently and then burst into fresh peals of giggles. I rolled my eyes again and turned around, letting my head fall forwards with a thump against the door.

"I'm glad you're finding this so funny." I mutter, folding my arms sulkily.

"Oh yes, I really am!" Rehema chortled, shaking her head as she laughed at me. Bloody Hell, this woman sure can laugh! It wasn't an unpleasant laugh though. It was all sweet and sunny, so carefree and cheerful, and it made me want to join in with her, but the throbbing pain at the end of my leg kinda changed my mind about that.

"Have you actually wondered…" Rehema said when her laughter had finally faded away, leaving her practically wheezing for breath as she once again straightened up, brushing her long curls back from her pretty face, "…that maybe Mister Kaiba isn't answering you because _maybe_ he's _not_ actually in there?"

I lift my head up from the door and peered at her, blinking in confusion.

"What? Kaiba… isn't… in there? But… he's got to be! Even Mokuba said he'd be in his…" My mouth dropped open in realisation and I glared at Rehema again. "You knew he wasn't in there. You already knew! _And you let me stand out here and scream bloody murder at his door for nothing_?!"

Rehema nodded, grinning at me, a familiar mischievous glint in her hazel eyes.

"Yep." She said, smiling.

"I hate you."

"I know."

I growled in frustration and kicked the door again. And then howled with fresh pain as I once again killed my already abused foot. What a genius. What a bloody genius.

Rehema's grin widened as she watched me start my frenzied hopping routine again, and she leant back against the wall, absently scratching her brown curls.

"Yes, I knew that Mister Kaiba wasn't in there, and I also know where he is now, in case you're still interested in, ahem, giving him a firm kick in the nuts with your trusty Converse sneakers." She said casually, examining the nails on her left hand as I stopped hopping and gingerly put my foot back down on the floor, wincing with the pain. Hell yeah, I was still interested! I _really_ needed something to relieve my anger on. As soon as possible. And guess who I'd most prefer to vent it out on. You don't need to phone a friend to work _that_ one out, that's for sure…

"Where is he, then?" I asked her, flicking my own lavender locks back out of my eyes with one hand. She smiled at me and stood up from the wall.

"Follow me." She grinned.

* * *

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Afraid not."

"If you think I'm going down there, you've got another thing coming!"

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it? What's bloody _right_ with it?! It looks like a fucking crypt, for God's sake!"

"Oh, stop your whining! You wanted to go talk to him, so go talk to him!"

"I am _not_ going down _there_!"

"Why not?"

"Open your eyes and you'll see why not!"

"My eyes _are_ open! There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Where the Hell are _you_ looking?!"

"Oh for crying out loud…"

I swear, Rehema was only mere few seconds away from banging her head against the brick wall beside her. Either that, or she was seconds away from banging _my_ head against the brick wall beside her, and I'm sure she was closer to doing that than she was to doing the first. I, on the other hand, was seconds away from turning tail and running like the wind out of Kaiba's mansion, screaming like a banshee. Why? Well, it seemed that Kaiba has a fucking _tomb_ built in his Goddamn basement!! No joke! Me and Rehema were stood in the far corner of the kitchen, at the top of a very long staircase that led down into the complete and utter darkness below, no light whatsoever except a few lit torches mounted in brackets on the walls. Seriously. Torch brackets. I mean, who the Hell has torch brackets nowadays? What's the matter? Weren't light bulbs good enough for the all-powerful CEO of KaibaCorp? Obviously not.

"Go on." Rehema said, "Get going."

I looked at her like she was insane.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I'm not! Now get down there! It's fine!"

"If you like it so much, why don't _you_ go down there?!"

"Because I don't need to!"

"Neither do I!"

"You wanted to talk to Mister Kaiba, didn't you?"

"'Talk' as in 'kick him into next week', then yeah, I did, but I'd rather not go down there!"

"Why not? Are you scared of the dark, or something?"

"No, I'm just sure I've seen something like this in a horror film. Y'know, where the young heroine goes down into a dark, spooky basement and ends up getting ambushed by hordes of bloodthirsty zombies or whatever!"

It was Rehema's turn to look at me like I was insane. Well, yeah, maybe the zombie bit was pressing it a little, but I was so against going down there that I would've said just about anything to get me out of it. Rehema had no hope, bless her, because I am as stubborn as a mule when I want to be. Like now, for example.

"Trust me, Rehema, there's _nothing_ on this entire _planet_ that could make me go down those stairs! Nothing!" I vowed, backing away from the doorway to the dark abyss. Dark Abyss. Very poetic, if I do say so myself.

Rehema opened her mouth to retaliate, but then she stopped. I looked at her quizzically as her eyes suddenly lit up with a glint of something and then she gave me a smirk that could've rivalled Kaiba's own.

"Nothing on this entire planet, eh?"

"Absolutely."

"So you wouldn't do it for anything, would you?"

"Never."

"Not even for a cookie?" she said with a crafty smile. I closed my eyes in stubbornness and folded my arms across my chest.

"Not even for a… Wait." I opened my eyes, realisation striking me like a lightning bolt, "Did you just say cookie?"

Rehema nodded, her smile widening.

"Yep."

I squinted at her suspiciously, wondering if I should cave or not. The promise of a cookie was just _so_ horribly tempting. I hadn't had a decent cookie for ages… Christ, this is torture! Pure bloody torture! Spooky basement, or no spooky basement. Cookie, or no cookie. It was a no-brainer really.

"It better be a big cookie." I muttered as she shifted out of the way to let me past with a triumphant grin on her face. I rolled my eyes at her (it was almost force of habit by now) and took my first tentative step into the darkness, placing my foot on the topmost cold stone step, wishing I was anywhere but here. Anywhere! I'd rather be in the lounge watching more of that bloody gruesome Saw 4 crap with Mokuba than here! Ok, maybe I wouldn't, but still.

"What are you waiting for?" Rehema pressed, "An invitation?"

"I'd like one, yes!" I retorted, talking another step downwards. She shook her head at me, her curls flying from left to right.

"Well, get a move on! We haven't got all day!"

"Alright, alright! I'm going, I'm going!" I growled, and took yet another hesitant step. And then I jumped when I heard slight creaking from behind me and I spun around to see Rehema closing the door.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I hissed up at her. She shrugged from the doorway.

"Shutting the door."

"I can see that, but _why_?"

She shrugged again.

"Because this part of the house if off-limits to anyone other than the Kaiba brothers."

I nearly completely lost it there and then, disbelief and a familiar feeling of anger rising in my stomach like a cobra.

"_Then what the Hell am I doing down here?!" _I screeched, the echoes of my voice bouncing off the walls around me, making it sound like a chorus of about fifty of me was in here with me, and we'd all just spoken at the same time.

"Because you can't lose your job for being down there." Rehema said, and then fully shut the door, cutting off my furious retort and plunging me into semi-darkness.

"Why you-!" I began, thinking about marching back up there and start pounding at that door, as I had done with the other, but I just could not be bothered. After all, why take it all out on a door, when there was a certain person down here with me who I could take it out on instead? And I mean 'person' in the vaguest sense of the word. In fact, 'robot' would be more accurate, wherever Seto Kaiba was concerned…

Growling curses under my breath at Rehema, Kaiba and the world in general, I continued my descent down the long dark staircase, squinting hard through the half-darkness, just in case I happened to miss my footing and go flying down the endless stone steps on my ass, which wouldn't be the most graceful sight in the world, I must admit. It made me wince just _thinking_ about it!

After what seemed like an age, (but was probably only about five minutes), I came to the bottom of the long staircase and found myself in an equally long corridor that seemed to stretch on for miles, more lit torch brackets dotted around the walls, flickering in the distance. I stared down at the end, hoping that I would be able to see the very end, but I couldn't, no matter how much I tried. Damn. This corridor could snake along underground Domino itself, and I wouldn't know. It probably did, knowing my luck. Great. Good old lady luck smiling down on me. Smiling? Nah. More like she's spat at me, kicked me to death and then set my remains alight with a blowtorch. Yes, that's how much she loves me. With every fibre of her being. And didn't I just know it?

"Christ, Kaiba! Would it kill you to build an escalator down here, or what?" I muttered to myself as I set of walking, heading for whatever laid at the opposite end. And Kaiba, hopefully. It was about time someone knocked him down off his high horse, and I would be happy to oblige. More than happy. Overjoyed, even.

It all looked the same down here. Every portion of wall I passed looked exactly similar to every other part of the damn wall I'd already walked past, and it made me wonder if I was actually walking around in circles or whatever. Lost to wander for eternity in Kaiba's personal labyrinth whilst he sat back in his big cushy armchair, glass of Scotch in hand as he smirked at my confusion on the big screen. I growled at that thought and immediately scanned the walls and ceiling with my gaze, looking for cameras, just in case, but I couldn't see any. That didn't mean they weren't there, though. Hidden cameras, maybe. Hey, paranoia is a blessing.

The minutes crawled by so damn slow, that if they went any slower they'd be going backwards. I'd been walking for ages, and I was already fed up. To be honest, I'd been fed up ever since I came to the end of the stairs and found myself in this corridor. So, with nothing else to entertain myself with, I set my mind to the task of how to get Yami and Yugi together as subtly as possible. Or any way, really. I'm not fussed. If I have to stampede a herd of elephants just to get them to get together, then by God, I bloody will! I'm so determined to give sweet Yugi his happy ending. I want to give him what he's craved from the very first time he set eyes on Yami Atemu. Yugi just deserves happiness more than most, I think. I mean, I know all about how he used to be bullied practically everyday at school until we stepped on the scene and stuck up for him. He's had no problems with bullies ever since, but he's still vulnerable and pretty easy to get the better of, as that bitch Tea Gardner proved earlier today, and I just think that by him having a more constant means of support he'd be even better off. Just think about it: how many people are likely to come after Yugi when they've gotta get through Yami to get to him? Not bloody many, that's for sure. And I really want to be there when Yugi finally gets what he deserves. One hot, leather-clad sex God wrapped up in a nice neat little package. Delivered first class mail, straight to one Mister Yugi Mutou's front door…

I stopped suddenly, both physically and mentally as my ears practically perked up beneath my long lavender locks at the new noise I'd just picked up. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, because it was so soft and quiet, but as faint as it was, it sounded so… I don't know how to describe it, but all I knew that it was coming from directly in front of me, and it felt like it was actually _drawing_ me in towards it in someway…

Cautiously, I kept walking down the corridor, following the alluring sounds. I could see I was close to the end because through the darkness, I could vaguely make out the shape of yet another door in front of me, a fair few metres away, the light from inside trying to sneak out through the edges. As I got closer, the sweet, soft sounds got slightly louder, and I could make it out a bit better now. It wasn't just any old sounds… it was _music_…

I was at the door now, one hand rested on the door handle and my ear pressed against the wood, trying to hear the music better. It sounded like it was coming from… a piano, maybe? Could Kaiba be…? Nah. I shook my head. He couldn't be. Could he?

I waited a few more seconds, and then I twisted the handle, pushing the door open as quietly as I could. Through the door was a smallish room, decorated more like the mansion décor upstairs, except the floor was still the original stone like in the corridor/tunnel I'd just come down. But this wasn't the main thing that caught my eye. The main thing was… _Kaiba_… Playing the _piano_… And pretty damn good, at that…

I froze in the doorway, standing there as still as a statue as I watched him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, until he looked up and saw me, his eyebrows furrowing together into an all too familiar frown.

"What are you doing down here?" He asked coldly, removing his hands from the piano keys as he regarded me with his usual belittling glare, but for once in my life, I didn't care. I just wanted him to play again.

"Don't stop." I said, moving into the room, heading towards him and the piano, walking as though in a dream. His frown deepened the closer I got.

"What?"

"Please." I responded, my voice barely louder than a whisper, "Don't stop playing."

I stopped beside him, my hands resting on the smooth wood of the piano, my amethyst eyes trained on his icy cobalt orbs, almost pleading with him. Something seemed to flicker across Kaiba's eyes for a moment as he glared up at me, and then he tore his gaze from mine and lowered his fingers back down onto the ivory keys again. And he began to play.

I got the song in the first few notes he played, and every part of me screamed for me to join in with him, to sing along with his beautiful music, but I couldn't. I don't know why… I just couldn't…

Until he glanced up at me from the keys, that is. He didn't say a single word, and neither did I, but somehow I understood him perfectly. So I opened my mouth and started to sing.

"_Waking up I see that everything is ok,_

_The first time in my life and now it's so great,_

_Slowing down, I look around and I am so amazed,_

_I think about the little things that make life great,_

_I wouldn't change a thing about it,_

_This is the best feeling.  
_

_This innocence is brilliant,_

_I hope that it will stay,_

_This moment, is perfect, please don't go away,_

_I need you now,_

_And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by."_

Ok, I'm no Leona Lewis or anything, but I am pretty good at singing. I'm usually the one who gets chosen to sing the solo parts in Music, and I got offered the lead role in our school production last year, but I turned that down almost as soon as it was offered. No way was I going to make a complete ass of myself in front of the whole student body. No freaking way! Life on the stage was so not for me, never had been, never will be.

I looked at Kaiba again, watching as his slim pale fingers glided over the keys with delicate ease, producing the most amazing melody I've ever heard. The only thing missing from this being like the original song was the guitar and drums in the background, but with just the piano on it's own was breathtaking enough. It was really weird to think that the Seto Kaiba, arrogant, self-centred pain in the ass, could make such beautiful music. I guess there is more to him than meets the eye. Like me, I suppose.

"_I found a place, so safe, not a single tear,_

_The first time in my life and now it's so clear,_

_Feel calm, I belong, I'm so happy here,_

_It's so strong and now I let myself be sincere,_

_I wouldn't change a thing about it,_

_This is the best feeling.  
_

_This innocence is brilliant,_

_I hope that it will stay,_

_This moment, is perfect, please don't go away,_

_I need you now,_

_And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by.  
_

_It's the state of bliss you think you're dreaming,_

_It's the happiness inside that you're feeling,_

_It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry.  
_

_It's the state of bliss you think you're dreaming,_

_It's the happiness inside that you're feeling,_

_It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry.  
_

_It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry!  
_

_This innocence is brilliant,_

_It makes you wanna cry,_

_This innocence is brilliant, please don't go away,_

_Cause I need you now,_

_And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by.  
_

_This innocence is brilliant,_

_I hope that it will stay,_

_This moment, is perfect, please don't go away,_

_I need you now,_

_And I'll hold on to it, don't you let it pass you by."_

The song ended with Kaiba finishing off beautifully on the piano, and I stared at him once more, wishing that the song didn't have to come to an end so soon. We both sat in silence, (or stood, in my case), until I felt the need to break the peace with the question I'd been dying to ask the moment I stepped into the room.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" I asked him, slightly out of breath. I felt like I'd just run a marathon or something. Kaiba didn't look at me, not even to glare at me, and he tipped one of the keys gently with the finger that still rested on top of them. I looked away from him after a few moments, thinking he wasn't going to answer me.

"My mother taught me." He said suddenly, surprising me, but not only by the fact that he was speaking to me, but also because he was actually talking about his family. A subject I've never heard him touch on before. "Before she died."

"I'm sorry." I said, overwhelmed by the urge to lay my hand comfortingly on his shoulder, as he had done to me in the hospital when we saw the mess Joey had been reduced to.

"My mother was the one who taught me how to sing. Until she died, too." I said sympathetically, reaching one hand out towards him. And then I stopped myself, fingers inches from his shoulder, remembering why I'd come down here in the first place. I wanted questions answered. Mokuba wanted the brother back he used to know. But something else was niggling in my brain too. Mokuba said spoke of someone named Gozuburo… Was he Kaiba's _father_…?

"What about your father? Gozuburo? Did he teach you anything?" I asked him, keeping my hands to myself for the time being. As soon as the words had left my mouth, I knew this was the completely wrong thing to say. Kaiba's head whipped up and he fixed me with a glare of such ferocity that I actually stepped back from him as though burned. Sure, he's glared at me before, but never with so much… _hatred._

"How do you know about him?" Kaiba snarled, rising from his seat. I took another step back, fear clawing at my insides.

"M-Mokuba mentioned him earlier," I half-stammered, still backing away from him, "He didn't say who he was, but I just assumed that he was your fa-"

"That he was my father? Well, you assumed wrong!" Kaiba cut across me, almost shouting as he advanced closer, and I backed away further, "That bastard was nothing to do with me or my brother! Don't you _dare_ befoul my family by suggesting I am the son of that _demon_!"

"K-Kaiba, I'm sorry… I didn't know…" I began, but I didn't manage to finish as he grabbed hold of my wrist in a vice-like grip, and I cried out in pain as his cold fingers pressed painfully against my fading bruises.

"Never say that name in front of me ever again." Kaiba growled, his voice low and dangerous. I stared fearfully into his icy cerulean eyes, trying to pull my wrist out of his grasp.

"Seto… Please let go… You're hurting me…" I pleaded desperately. The moment I'd used his first name, his eyes seemed to clear and he released me. I fell away from him in mid-pull and he turned away from me, walked back to his seat and sat down heavily, his face in his hands, elbows resting on the surface of the piano. I stared at him from where I was standing, massaging my sore wrist, glancing at the door, wondering if I should make a run for it, just in case he went all psycho on me again. But for some reason, I didn't run. In fact, I moved closer to him, ignoring the sensible part of my brain that urged me this was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, "I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have said anything…"

"No." He replied, not raising his head from his hands, "Don't apologise. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know."

Ignoring my protesting conscience, I sat myself on the seat beside him, staring steadily at him, blinking freely. He wasn't crying, I don't think. I think maybe he was just ashamed at what he'd done. Or maybe, my mentioning Gozuburo to him might've brought up some painful past memories. Heh. I knew _that_ feeling. All you had to do was mention the name 'Alex' and I'd turn into a shivering nervous wreck. I reached out towards Kaiba again with one hand and this time I let my fingers gently grasp his shoulder closest to me. He looked up then, first at my reassuring hand on his shoulder and then actually at me.

"No worries." I said softly, giving him a small smile. I don't know what the Hell had come over me. Singing with Kaiba. Comforting Kaiba. Smiling at Kaiba. Where was the usual sarcastic banter battle that eternally raged between the two of us? Where were the insults and smirks and cold glares? Where was my insufferably short temper and my bitchiness? Where the fuck had it all _gone_? Out the fucking window, that's where.

What sat in silence for what must have been about five minutes, staring steadily at each other, neither of us moving or saying anything until I broke my gaze, once again remembering my original intent for coming down here.

"Mokuba misses you." I said quietly, avoiding his gaze. I didn't even have to look at him to know his eyebrows had furrowed together into yet another frown.

"What are you talking about? He sees me every day. We live in the same house. How could he miss me?"

I looked up at him again.

"You know what I mean, Kaiba. He misses _you_. The _old_ you. The Seto Kaiba you were as a child, not the icy prick bastard you are now. Don't you see that?"

I half expected him to glare at me, y'know, for calling him an icy prick bastard, and all, or even strike back with an unflattering insult of his own, but he did neither. Instead, he continued to stare at me, as though trying to read something from my face, and I though I felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutinising gaze, I didn't break eye contact with him. And then he looked away, still silent as the grave.

I almost sighed in exasperation until I was suddenly struck by an idea that, even though it wouldn't bring a smile to my face, it would certainly to Mokuba. I stood up.

"Come with me." I said, and as expected, Kaiba turned back to look at me, his expression slightly quizzical through his stony emotionless mask.

"What?"

"Come with me." I repeated, "Mokuba's upstairs, watching a movie. It would mean the world to him if you went up there now and joined him. I bet he'd be the happiest he's been for a long time. Come on. Be his big brother again. That's all he wants." I stretched out my hand to the elder Kaiba, waiting. He glanced at my outstretched hand, and then his cobalt blues locked with my amethyst orbs.

"Come with me." I said, one last time. This was it. His final chance.

He took my hand.

And took the first step towards humanity.

* * *

**Cara: Awww! FLUFFY!! Seto's turning human!! Bye bye cyborg Kaiba!!**

**Chiyo: Bleaugh. Fluffy stuff makes me want to vomit. Where's all the violence gone?!**

**Cara: Chill out, my bloodthirsty Yami, the violence will be here soon, don't you worry.**

**Chiyo: Good.**

**Cara: Please review please! See that little button down there? Press it for me. Please! Luv ya all! **


	14. SpintheBottle

**Cara: D'you know how long it took me to do this chapter? Two weeks. TWO FLIPPING WEEKS!! Usually it only takes about four or five days per chapter, but no, not this one! TWO WEEKS!!**

**Chiyo: And don't forget its been over three weeks since you updated this fanfic, too.**

**Cara -glares- That's it, Chiyo, twist that knife in a little deeper…**

**Chiyo: God, I'm only saying. Chill out.**

**Cara: Oh yeah, and when I'd finally finished this damn chapter, I looked at the word count and it was nearly TEN THOUSAND WORDS LONG!! WTF?!**

**Chiyo: Yeah, so she's split it into two parts, so instead of one extra long chapter, you get two littler ones. Please read and review.**

* * *

Chapter 14:

To be honest, kissing Bakura wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be. Well, I knew it wasn't going to be _unpleasant_, judging by how many times I've seen him and Ryou in a ferocious make-out session and Ryou always seemed to enjoy it very much, but I was a little weary about Bakura's whole Eating-Raw-Meat fetish he's got going on. But trust me, those worries fucked off out of existence the very second our lips touched.

He slipped me the tongue almost instantly, his hand on the back of my head, holding me close, exploring my mouth as roughly as he could, obviously trying to dominate me. Heh. Good luck, sweetheart. I know little Ryou's probably the most submissive person in the world, but if you think I'll be the same, you've got another thing coming.

I dug my fingernails into his shoulders, making him give a small groan of pleasure from the pain. Hey, what can I say? The guy's a masochist. Even the slightest twinge of pain turns him on.

"I don't think so," I murmured into his mouth, gently nibbling his bottom lip, teasing him. This was about our third kiss of the evening, and every time we locked lips, he always tried to be the one in control, playing the dominant male act. Obviously, I had other ideas.

"You never learn, do you, Bakura?" I purred and then bit down hard on the lip between my teeth, earning another pleasured groan and I took control of the kiss, letting my tongue dart out to do the exploring this time. There were cheers and laughs from all around us, the other guys urging us on, but we ignored them for about ten more seconds of our fierce tongue war until we finally broke apart, panting lightly, our lips kiss-swollen, me emerging victorious. Yet again.

"Nice try, Bakura, but you'll never get the better of our Renami!" Joey laughed as I smiled and took a bow before he passed back my bottle of beer and I sat down beside him. Bakura scowled at him and took his place by Ryou's side, nursing his bruised pride as we all laughed at him and Ryou entwined their hands together, giggling at his lover. Joey had a swig from his own beer and then reached forwards to the empty bottle that lay on its side in the middle of the floor, where we all sat around it in a circle.

"My turn!" He grinned and spun the bottle hard with a flick of his wrist, sending it spinning around madly, the green glass looking more like a blur of colour than anything else.

Have you ever played spin-the-bottle? It's a great game, especially when you're the only girl surrounded by eight of the hottest guys in the whole damn planet. Sure, they were all about as straight as roundabouts, but who cares? It's not like it's serious or anything. Just a laugh. And as we sat there, having a laugh, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of all the girls in our class that would give anything in the world to be sat where I was right now, hair ruffled and lips bruised from all the kisses I'd received in the last half an hour. Especially that whore Tea Gardner. Christ, this would be like a bloody goldmine for her!

Nine pairs of eyes hungrily watched the bottle turn, wondering where it would stop. It went on spinning for so long that I thought it wasn't going to stop at all, but then it slowed down and came to rest pointing to the guy sat on my right, the newest addition to our little gang of freaks. Remember a while back, that day when me and Kaiba locked horns on the basketball courts? And afterwards, at lunch break, Yami and Yugi had overheard Mrs Lewis and Miss Jackson talking about a new exchange student? Well, a few weeks ago, said exchange student made an appearance and joined our form. And boy was he HOT! His skin wasn't that much fairer than mine, but not as dark as Yami, Marik and Malik's Egyptian flesh, and he was tall and lean, sinewy muscles clearly defined, his sleeveless jacket over a black tank top and his tight black leather pants that left absolutely NOTHING to the imagination. He wore black wristbands on both wrists and bands of gold looped themselves around the upper half of both his arms. Around his head, he had a crimson band that kept back the majority of his longish ebony locks which he had pulled back into a ponytail, leaving only a few bangs at the front hanging down in front of his face. His eyes were a bright and mystical turquoise that seemed to change colour in the light, like one minute they'd look the purest of blues and then the next they'd be sparkling green. Underneath his left eye, he had a tattooed line down his cheek, but that was nothing new to us since both Marik and Malik also have similar tattoos under their own eyes. Hanging down from his left earlobe was a small dice on a thread. He called himself Duke Devlin, and the way he spoke his name had practically the whole class drooling by the first syllable.

From the moment our gang introduced ourselves to him, I knew he definitely belonged with us, since he seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes off Joey's ass. And Joey was having the same problem, vice versa. Was this another Happy Ending I spy on the horizon? I bloody hope so, especially after what happened down that alley and what Scott did to him. It's time Joey got what he deserves, and by God, you should've seen how much both their faces lit up when the bottle landed on Duke!

"Sorry Joey, but that's the luck of the draw." Duke shrugged, grinning at the blond, probably thinking that Christmas had come early this year. Joey grinned back, no doubt thinking the same thing, and the two of them stood up and met in the middle of the circle, the rest of us watching intently, our beers momentarily forgotten.

Duke brushed a few stray tendrils of blond hair back from Joey's toffee eyes and they both leaned forwards at the same time, letting their lips meet in a tender kiss. It started off gentle, but then as the seconds passed by, the kiss got deeper until they were practically mounting each other right there and then in the centre of the room.

I bet you're probably wondering what the Hell we were all doing here, aren't you? Well, tonight was the night of Yugi's seventeenth birthday, at long last, so he'd invited us all over to the Kame Game Shop, where he and his Grandpa lived, for a sleepover. And the great thing was that Grandpa Mutou let us have free reign on the booze front, so we'd brought along all the alcoholic drinks we could lay our hands on. Grandpa Mutou said we could do basically whatever we wanted, all except one thing: Sex. He had officially banned any sexual contact in this house for tonight, which Marik and Bakura had been less than impressed by, but that didn't stop us playing spin-the-bottle. After all, it was only kissing. We weren't having a massive orgy, or anything. Unfortunately. Calm down, I'm only kidding. But then again, that idea was awfully tempting…

As I watched Joey and Duke make-out so fiercely that if Joey got his tongue any further down Duke's throat, he'd be licking his lungs, I smiled and leant back, propping myself up on my forearms, feeling so happy for both of them. Right, that was Joey's love life taken care of, judging by what I could see before me, so now it was time for Yugi and Yami to hook up. If they did, I could honestly say I would be the happiest I've been in a long, long time. And if they didn't, I'd give them both Hell on earth until they did. I can be very persuasive when I want to be, so if I say Yami and Yugi were destined to be together, then by God, I'd go to any lengths to make it so!

"Whoa, whoa, guys," Malik interrupted the entwined teens in the centre of the circle, smirking at them, "Remember the sex ban? Don't go getting _too_ carried away."

"Yeah, there are still some virgin eyes in here!" Bakura grinned, looking pointedly at me and Yugi. Yugi's response was to blush and avert his gaze, and mine was to flip the taller white-haired male the finger and stick my tongue out at him.

"I… don't… care…" Joey panted in between kisses when he paused briefly for breath, his hands wandering and grabbing every inch of Duke he could reach. I giggled and tossed a cushion at him from the sofa.

"You will when Grandpa Mutou walks in and catches you two doing the dirty in the middle of _his_ living room floor!"

That caught their attention, as well as a faceful of cushion for Joey, courtesy of my near-perfect aim, and they reluctantly broke apart, smiling at each other with swollen lips.

"Sit your asses down, let the rest of us have our turns!" Marik grinned as Joey and Duke moved back to take their seats at either side of me. I smirked at Joey as he picked up his bottle and drank from it thirstily, beer dribbling down his chin in his haste to down it. I leaned close to him.

"Enjoy that?" I whispered, grinning. He turned to face me, smiling widely as he wiped his chin with his sleeve.

"Was it really that obvious?" He replied with a smirk of his own and we laughed, clinking our bottles together in a mock toast before we turned our attention back to the circle where Yami was reaching for the bottle in the middle of us all. Suddenly, my breath hitched in my throat. Oh yes! This was it! This could be the moment I'd been waiting for for God knows how long! Please, please, please, please, _please_ land on Yugi! Pretty please! I was practically on my knees here, begging to any God that'd listen! PLEASE let it land on Yugi!!

Yami grinned as he grabbed hold of the bottle and let it fly, sending it whirling faster and faster as it picked up momentum. We all watched, me holding my breath, silently praying as the bottle began to slow down and then come to a complete and total halt… Right on Yugi. Jackpot! Get in there! Who says there's no God?! Immediately, the shorter teen blushed fire engine red and his wide-eyed gaze landed on me with the panicked look of a deer caught in the headlights of a double-decker bus. I smiled widely, giving him the thumbs up and a knowing wink that basically screamed, _"Here's your chance, Yugi! Take it! What are you waiting for? Goddamn it, take it! Take it now!!"_

Yugi gulped and shakily got to his feet, heading towards the centre of our circle where Yami already stood, waiting for him with a small smile that seemed closer to a smirk than a smile, if you ask me. Yugi's cheeks were still flushed and he purposely kept his eyes trained down intently at his own feet, avoiding Yami's gaze. Yami gave a small chuckle as Yugi drew level and then reached out with one hand to gently lift Yugi's chin so the shorter teen had no choice but to stare straight into those deep violet orbs.

"Why are you blushing, Aibou?" Yami asked softly, smiling kindly down at the shorter teen. Yugi didn't reply as he stood there in silence for so long that I actually thought he'd stopped breathing. That is, until he closed his eyes and whispered so quietly that we all leaned forwards to hear what he said, even Yami who was only stood a couple of feet away from him.

"Because I've wanted to do this for a very long time." Yugi murmured and then he threw his arms around Yami's neck and planted his lips against the taller teen's, surprising us all with his swiftness and forwardness. I can honestly say that none of us had expected sweet, shy little Yugi Mutou to make the first move, especially not to the love of his life, Yami Atemu, and yet here he was, clutching the front of Yami's jacket to pull him closer as they kissed, somehow still amazingly in control.

Looking around at the others, I saw that practically all their jaws had dropped into their laps in shock, staring at the scene before them with wide eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. I turned my gaze back on the happily kissing couple, beaming widely at the two of them, feeling an overwhelming wave of emotion rise up inside me like a tidal wave. I just wanted to run up to them and hug them both as tight as I could. I wanted to grab Yugi and swing him around in the air, shouting with joy. I wanted to run around the room, bouncing on all the sofas, screaming triumphantly. I was so unbelievably happy for them that all my troubles and fears just vanished completely into thin air so fast that it was almost like they weren't even there in the first place. In my delight, I forgot about everything. Alex, Scott, Rehema, my mom, my little sister Zahra… even Kaiba. And trust me, when I forget about Kaiba, I've got to have seen something pretty spectacular to make me do so, because it was so damn hard to get his icy blue orbs and infuriating smirking face out of my head. Christ, even when he's not around he still manages to piss me off somehow. What a talent. But then again, it doesn't really take much to piss me off.

Suddenly, I was brought out of my thoughts by a rather loud moan from the middle of the room and I looked up just in time to witness Yami grind his hips against Yugi's with an animalistic growl, causing the smaller to let out another pleasured moan, breaking the kiss as he threw back his head and arched his back. Jesus fucking Christ! I never thought I'd say this, but watching those two make out and practically fuck each other through their clothes was actually kinda… hot, I gotta admit. Seriously, I was pretty turned on, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one when I glanced around the circle and most of them were watching with lust-filled, half-lidded eyes. Oops, sorry Grandpa Mutou, but I don't think your sex ban is gonna last much longer. I'd give it ten minutes, tops, and then all the guys were gonna pounce on each other and start at it like horny rabbits, whilst I would have to excuse myself, (since I don't have a bed mate of my own yet), and probably end up in the kitchen, raiding the fridge. Well, what else would I be able to do if they started a massive fuck fest? Join in? I don't think so, somehow. I have to draw the line somewhere.

"Bloody Hell, Yugi," Bakura said, shaking his head in disbelief and staring up at them, barely blinking, "What I said about 'virgin eyes', I take it all back. After all this time we thought you were sweet and innocent, when really you're…"

"A nymphomaniac!" Marik shouted, roaring with laughter.

"No, Marik, that would be you," Ryou smiled, and then burst out laughing when he caught sight of Malik nodding his head viciously in agreement.

"I'll say," the shorter, saner platinum blond said, glaring sideways at his lover who just shrugged and grinned, denying nothing. Well, if he had try to deny it, we'd have probably pelted him with our beer bottles and Malik would've throttled him and banned him from sex for one whole week. And being a nymphomaniac, as Ryou pointed out, no sex would've just been the end of the world for him. So, if he kept his trap shut, he'd get rewarded with Malik's mouth willingly attached to the end of his cock, and Marik wouldn't have to resort to desperate begging and pleading when he was feeling horny. Method in his madness, I suppose. Marik Ishtar might be completely insane, but he sure as Hell wasn't stupid.

"C'mon, hurry up, we're getting old down here!" Duke groaned, no doubt wanting his turn so he could get into another liplock with Joey. Yami and Yugi ignored him and continued on with their game of tonsil tennis, showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

And then, of course, the living room door opened and in walked Grandpa Mutou at probably the worst possible moment, two huge bowls full of popcorn balanced on a tray in his hands.

"Hey kids, I was just wondering if you wanted any-" he started cheerfully, and then he froze in the doorway, his eyes widening with horror at the scene that lay before him.

Silence had fallen over all of us that sat around on the carpet, our eyes locked on the pale Grandpa Mutou who looked to be mere seconds away from a full-blown heart attack.

"Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus!" He shrieked when he came to his senses, dropping the tray and both bowls onto the floor with an almighty crash, sending popcorn flying in all directions and startling Yami and Yugi out of their liplock as the elder Mutou hurried from the room, panting heavily and clutching his chest.

"Shit!" Yugi shouted, shocking us all with his uncharacteristic swearing as he chased after his Grandpa, leaping over the sofa in his haste to catch up with him, "Wait, Grandpa! It wasn't what it looked like! Honest, it wasn't! Grandpa!"

All the rest of us in the room tore our gazes from the door through which Yugi and his Grandpa had just left and we all looked at each other in silence, not sure what to say, struggling not to burst out laughing. I clenched my lips tightly shut to stop myself, and several others had clamped their hands over their mouths but after a few seconds none of us could hold it back any longer and we absolutely exploded with mirth, tears rolling down our cheeks as we howled with laughter as one, clutching at our sides.

After about ten minutes of non-stop laughter, Yugi came back in, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and shut the door behind him.

"Jesus Christ…" He muttered, stepping over the spilt popcorn and throwing himself back down in his previous place on the floor, lying back and rubbing his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"So…" I began, trying as hard as I could to regain at least some of my composure, but failing miserably, "…How'd it go?" That last part came out like a cross between a squeak and a giggle, (a squiggle?) and succeeded in setting us all off laughing again, practically pissing ourselves on the carpet. Yugi sat up and glared at us all, not amused.

"I'm glad you lot find it so funny. I very nearly succeeded in killing my Grandpa by almost giving him a bloody heart attack!" He growled, causing us to laugh even harder. Yugi fumed for a few more moments before even he couldn't hold back a smile at what had just happened and was soon roaring as hard as the rest of us, his cheeks flushed an even brighter pink due to how hard he was laughing.

Eventually, our laughter dissolved as we all gasped for breath, wiping tears from our faces and rubbing our sore sides, unable to stop our wide grins spreading across our faces.

"Bloody Hell, I don't think I've laughed so hard in all my life." Duke wheezed. We smiled at him.

"Don't worry, you get plenty of laughs like that when you're hanging out with morons like us!"

He smiled wider, flicking stray ebony bangs back from his eyes. Marik looked around briefly for his abandoned beer bottle, and when he found it, he knelt up and held it out proudly in the centre of our circle.

"To moronity!" he crowed, grinning.

"Is that even a word?" Ryou whispered as we all grabbed our bottles and clambered up onto our knees also, holding out our own bottles.

"To moronity!" We chorused and clinked our bottles together in a toast before draining the remainders of our beers and leaving our empty bottles on the floor. I smiled and then looked back to the original empty bottle in the middle of us.

"I guess that means we can't play spin-the-bottle anymore." I said, sighing. The others all looked pretty disappointed, that is until Yami's eyes lit up, and he leant forwards, his smirk returning.

"How about we play a different game?"

"Like what?"

"Truth or Dare, maybe?"

Our grins reappeared, and I laughed out loud, leaning back against Joey, who had somehow got behind me, (no doubt trying to inch his way around so he could sit beside Duke and engage in a little more harmless groping).

"I don't think we're drunk enough for that, yet!" I chuckled.

"Then lets get ourselves drunk enough!" Bakura smirked and spread his arms wide, "Up for another round, boys and girl? My treat."

"I don't see how its 'your treat' when it was me and Marik who brought the beer." Malik countered, glaring at the taller whitenette, who just shrugged and smirked wider. I stood up, tugging straight my shorts and smoothing out my vest top, my nightwear which I'd changed into a couple of hours ago. I'd been one of the first ones to arrive, so I'd got straight into my PJs before the rest of the gang came, since I had no desire to strip in front of eight testosterone-driven teenage boys, trying to hide my scars from them at the same time as trying to keep myself covered up in all the appropriate places. Yes, I know, as I've already said, all the guys are as straight as roundabouts, but that wouldn't stop them _looking_, would it? Trust me, I've been down that road with them on previous occasions, and I've learnt from it, thank God. But then when it comes to _them_ getting undressed in front of _me_, that's a different matter entirely…

"What'll it be, fellas? Beers all around? Or shall I break out the Vodka?" I asked, smiling down at them.

"We brought the Vodka, too." Malik muttered, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Beers. To early for Vodka yet. That's for later." Joey replied, speaking for the rest of the guys as he shifted sideways slightly so I could get out of our circle and make my way to the door, cautiously stepping over the spilt popcorn that littered the floor.

"Oi, this better be cleaned up by the time I get back up here," I said, gesturing down the popcorn at my feet, "Because if it isn't, then _none_ of you are getting your drinks. Am I clear?"

"Yes, mother." Bakura responded sarcastically and rolled his eyes at me as I walked out of the living room, shutting the door behind me, leaving them to their cleaning.

The corridor was pretty dark, because no lights were turned on, but I managed to see where I was going from the small line of light blaring out from under the living room door, and I started walking, heading for the stairs at the end of the corridor that led down to the game shop below. Even though Yugi and his Grandpa owned the apartment above the Kame Game Shop, as well as owning the shop itself, for some weird reason, the kitchen wasn't actually part of the apartment, and was instead in the back room behind the shop counter. Why? I had no idea. It seemed a little stupid to me for the builders to put the kitchen down in the shop, but they did. Maybe it was so the shopkeeper wouldn't have to keep going up and down the stairs when he wanted something to eat or drink. Logical, in a way, but a pain in the neck for those who lived above.

I shivered as I finished my descent down the slightly creaky stairs and ended up standing on the slightly creaky floorboards of the shop. It was freezing in here! But then again, there was no point wasting electricity downstairs when there was nobody around, was there?

After successfully manoeuvring myself around endless shelves and displays full to the brim with card games mostly, I finally skirted around the counter and opened the door to the kitchen, flicking on the light switch as I entered. The booze was already sat innocently on the table, waiting for me.

As I picked up a bottle and busied myself looking for the bottle opener, I thought back to the scene when Yugi's Grandpa burst in on Yugi and Yami making out, and I started giggling again, picturing the looks on Yugi and his Grandpa's faces. I think I'll remember their hilariously shocked expressions for the rest of my life! Just when I thought Yugi's wide bambi eyes couldn't get any bigger! Jesus Christ, I wish I could've videoed that moment. I swear I would've NEVER got tired of watching that over and over!

Suddenly, I stopped. Wait a minute. Why did that seem so familiar? Two people getting caught in the act by another unsuspecting person?

…Oh shit! I remember now! Me and Kaiba, in his office at KaibaCorp when he went completely psycho on me! When he tried to tear my clothes off on top of his desk and that obnoxious bitch of a secretary, Charlene, walked in on us and got totally the wrong idea! This was exactly the same! Well, maybe not _exactly_, since Yami and Yugi were quite happy to stick their tongues down each other's throats, whereas with me and Kaiba, on the other hand, there had been NO romance involved whatsoever. In fact, most of what I can remember was me shouting, "FUCK OFF, KAIBA!!" at the top of my voice and trying to fight him off me. Hey, what else could I have done? Laid back and let it happen? Let Kaiba win? Let that arrogant, self-centred, power-hungry, egotistical bastard win? Hell no!

But, y'know, as the days passed by, I was starting to wonder if Kaiba actually was as bad as I always thought he was. I mean, it had been about three weeks since that first day he invited me over to his mansion, and even though practically every waking moment of every day since then had been filled with our usual sarcastic banter and glares galore, I couldn't deny that something had changed between us. It was just a feeling. Like there was more… warmth between us, I suppose. I know, crazy, right? Seto Kaiba sharing feelings of warmth with another human being? Impossible, I thought, since he doesn't even _have_ feelings. But now… I was starting to think that maybe he does have some sort of feelings lurking beneath that cold façade of his. Granted, he was still an insufferable pain in the ass like he always was, but there were times, every so often, when I actually found myself _liking_ the CEO. Briefly. These feelings never lasted long, because then Kaiba would open his mouth and start talking again, and I'd have to fight the overwhelming urge to strangle him.

As much as he tried to hide it, Kaiba did seem a lot happier ever since I helped him mend his relationship with his little brother Mokuba, and in these past few weeks, I'd been invited back to the Kaiba Mansion about four times a week, and every time I agreed to go. Kaiba always said that Mokuba wanted to see me again, but a small part of me was beginning to wonder if it wasn't just Mokuba Kaiba that wanted to see me, but actually _Seto Kaiba_ as well…

Yeah right. Who was I kidding? The only reason the elder Kaiba would want me there was so he can continue his goal of driving me within an inch of my sanity by just _existing_. God, I hate him. I hate him with such a passion, it's unreal. And all this hating is taking a serious toll on my mental health, I'll tell you.

When I finally found the bastard bottle opener on top of the fridge, (what the Hell was it doing up there?) I attached it to the cap and prised it off the bottle, leaving the cap on the kitchen worktop and I made to turn around to get another bottle to open when something sharp, cold and horribly familiar appeared at my throat.

"Excellent," came a voice in my ear, as sharp, cold and horribly familiar as the knife it's owner held to my neck, "I could do with a drink."

The bottle slipped from in between my fingers, hurtling towards the kitchen tiles, and the intruder caught it with his free hand as he spun me around to face him, the knife now poised under my chin, tilting my face upwards with its sharp point so I had no choice but to stare horror-struck up into vivid emerald green eyes as they leered down at me, glinting evilly in the light above our heads.

"Hello, again, my pretty. Did you miss me?" Scott smirked at me as he raised the bottle to his lips and took a long drink.

I said nothing in reply, too scared to move, too scared to talk. Too scared even to _scream_…

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**Cara: Damn, don't you just hate cliffies? I know I do.**

**Chiyo: Oh, the irony. The Cliffy Queen hates cliffies.**

**Cara: Shut up, you! Anyways, please review for me, people! Thankies! Luv ya!**


	15. Under Orders

**Cara: Heya everyone! Two updates in two days, since this is like the second half of chapter fourteen.**

**Chiyo: The chapter of ten thousand words.**

**Cara: Oh, and I thought I'd try something a bit different in this chapter so instead of this being from Renami's POV, I've got little Ryou telling his side of the story!**

**Chiyo: Please read and review, because my Hikari likes it when you guys review.**

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Chapter 15:

Ryou's POV:

It hadn't taken us long to pick up all the popcorn from the floor and put them back in their bowls, so now we were eating it as we lounged around in front of the TV, watching some film we'd just found because we agreed it wouldn't be fair to start playing Truth or Dare without Renami.

Speaking of Renami, she seemed to be taking quite a while getting the drinks. Maybe she couldn't find the bottle opener from when I'd put it on top of the fridge earlier so it was out of the way. Not that I was all that bothered about the beer. I didn't really like it; I was just drinking it to keep up with the others who were throwing it down their necks as though it was water, but I was pretty worried about Renami. Especially after that incident that caused her to get that split lip a few weeks back. She still hadn't said anything else about that, and since I was sworn to secrecy, I couldn't say anything either, no matter how desperate I was to find out what really happened.

I peeled myself out of Bakura's arms and stood up, brushing popcorn kernels from my clothes.

"I'm going to go give Renami a hand with the drinks," I announced and they looked up at me and nodded before returning their attention back to the TV set.

"Oh, while you're down there, Ryou, could you get me some chocolate from the fridge, please?" Yugi asked, peering up at me from where he was snuggled close to Yami, his head on the chest of the taller teen, who was smiling like a contented cat, his arms around Yugi's waist, dangerously close to Yugi's crotch, but I don't think Yugi was too bothered about that. From the show he and Yami put on earlier, I'm betting that's the _exact_ place Yugi wants Yami's hands. Oh Yugi, and I used to think you were so innocent…

I nodded at the smaller spiky-haired teen, smiling as I exited the room, making my way down the dark corridor and the dark staircase, trying to pretend it wasn't as dark as it actually was. I get scared real easy. Over silly little things, like spiders and heights and stuff like that. I think I have more phobias than anyone else in Domino. No, in fact, more than anyone in the whole world! The whole galaxy! Y'know, I wonder how Bakura puts up with me, because he probably doesn't even know the _meaning_ of the word phobia, since he has none. He isn't scared of anything. He's the complete opposite to me. Maybe that's why we get on so well, because we're opposites. 'Opposites attract', as the saying goes.

I could hear Renami moving around in the kitchen when I reached the bottom of the staircase, and I unintentionally winced as the floorboards gave a small creak under my feet. Great, am I scared of floorboards now? I wouldn't be surprised.

I headed for the kitchen door which was opened just the slightest bit, so only a tiny amount of light led the way as I inched around the displays and shelves, praying that I wouldn't walk into any and cause them all to go crashing to the floor, one by one, like dominoes. That'd just be so typical of me.

When I reached the door, I peered through the crack in the door, expecting to see Renami on her own, probably searching the kitchen from top to bottom to find the bottle opener, but that wasn't what I found. I was glad I thought to look before I went barging in, because Renami wasn't on her own. She was with a man. And she wasn't searching the kitchen for the bottle opener. She was frozen in shock before the man as he held a knife to her throat, using the tip of it to make her lift her head to look up at him.

I wanted to scream, shout, yell for the others, but I couldn't. I was as still as Renami was, like a statue, watching the scene unfold with my eye practically glued to the crack in the door, fear clawing its way up my throat like bile. If I was scared, then how the Hell was Renami feeling right now? She was literally inches away from having her throat slit by this stranger. Who was he? Was he a burglar? Had he come here to steal from the till? He wasn't wearing a mask or anything to hide his identity, so he probably hadn't expected to run into anyone. But now he'd found himself a witness, someone who would be able to identify him to the police. I've read plenty of detective and crime books, and it's always the same: 'Leave no witnesses'.

"Hello again, my pretty. Did you miss me?" The man spoke, smirking at Renami as he took a long drink from the bottle of beer Renami had been holding moments before. This one sentence was like a goldmine of information. He said 'hello again,' meaning they'd met before. 'Did you miss me?' That was another clue to show me that they already knew each other.

Renami's eyes were wide with horror as she stared up at him, and then by some miracle she managed to find her voice.

"What do you want, dickhead?" she growled, glaring up at him, fear transformed into anger in the blink of an eye. I winced at the 'dickhead' part. What are you doing, Renami? Do you want to die? Keep up with the insults and the slimmer the chance is of you getting out of this alive! Don't aggravate him! This isn't the sort of man you fan the flames of! Especially when he's holding a knife to your throat!

But to my surprise, instead of slicing Renami's head off her shoulders as I feared he would, the intruder cackled, a truly evil sound, and moved closer to her, forcing her to back away until she came to an abrupt halt with her back against the kitchen worktop and he got even closer still, pressing his body to hers, stopping her from escaping.

"You're still angry at me? After all this time? Jesus, you sure know how to hold a grudge, don't you, pretty one?" He grinned, placing the bottle of beer back down on the worktop beside him and using his now free hand to gently caress Renami's face. She tried to struggle but the sharp point of the knife digging into the soft flesh underneath her chin stopped her.

"Stop calling me that!" Renami snarled, trying to bite his fingers as they gently traced over her lips. The mystery man's smirk widened and he leaned closer still, his lips literally a finger's breadth away from hers.

"I don't think you should be ordering me around, my pretty, since all I have to do is flick my wrist and your lovely voice will be silenced forever," he said quietly, the malicious grin still plastered all over his face. Wait. His face! Immediately, I tore my gaze from Renami's face and fixed it on the intruder's instead. If anything does go wrong, and something bad happens, at least then I'll be able to identify him to the police and we'd be able to stop him before anything else happened.

"All I have to do is scream, and then you'll have you head torn off your shoulders by my friends when they come running from upstairs." Renami replied viciously, trying to move her head away from his, but to no avail. If anything, he just got closer.

"Really? They'd coming running and they'd find you lying dead on the floor in a pool of your own blood, and I would have vanished. They'd never know I was here." He grinned and then he scowled at her, his voice turning deadly low, "And if you do scream, my pretty, I shall make sure that your friends will suffer my displeasure. In fact, if you scream, I may even let you live, just so you can have the pleasure of witnessing me take out my anger on them, one by one. I'll do what I did to your blond friend in that alley, but only this time it would be so much worse. I'll fuck them up so bad that they'll be driven insane, and you'd get to watch every beautiful precious moment." His eyes were glazed and half-lidded, and his voice had taken on a lustful purr. I could tell that, if he did what he said, he would enjoy every single second of it. This man was truly evil. Beyond evil. I don't even think he's _human_.

The expression on Renami's face mirrored my own. It was a look of complete repulsion and fear. I suddenly remembered Joey in the hospital about four weeks ago, bruised and bandaged and drugged, with a plaster cast on his arm. His bruises may have faded now, as had Renami's, but Joey still wore the cast, for it would be a few more weeks until his bones in his arm were fully mended. This… _monster_ had done that to him. He had been the one who attacked them in that alley! He had drugged them both! He had bruised their bodies! _He had raped Joey!_ I felt so sick; I just couldn't bear to look at him. Neither could Renami, but she had little choice since his face was a centimetre or two away from hers. Even when she squeezed her eyes shut, she could still feel his breath as it ghosted over her skin.

The bastard's smirk had returned and he gently rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss, his free hand twirling a lock of her long pale purple hair around his fingers.

"Look at me, pretty one, I want you to look at me as I tell you what I'm going to do to your friends. Open your eyes, let me see those beautiful purple eyes of yours. Open them now, my pretty. Don't make me hurt you."

Renami didn't open her eyes, and the man narrowed his own, tightening his grip on his knife before he suddenly slashed upwards with it, sending Renami's head snapping backwards as she cried out with pain. For one horrible, heart-stopping moment, I thought he had actually killed her but then Renami gave a small groan and raised her hand to the underside of her chin where a fresh cut had appeared, dribbling rivulets of blood down her throat. There wasn't a great deal of blood and the cut didn't look that deep from what I could see, but looks can be deceiving. For all I knew, the knife could've been a little rusty around the edge, and the wound made by it could now be infected. Maybe the cut wouldn't kill her, but in the aftermath, the infection might.

The intruder grinned again and grabbed more of Renami's long hair in his fist, pulling her head back even more, so her throat was bared to him and her head was nearly touching the worktop behind her.

"Isn't it strange how whenever we meet, you always end up bleeding, my pretty?" He chuckled, tracing the knife up her throat, allowing it to gather the scarlet liquid along the blade, causing her to shudder beneath him, "But then again, I don't mind. You have the most delicious tasting blood." He finished and moved the blade from her neck, replacing it with his tongue as he lapped up the blood from her skin like a cat would lap up a bowl of milk.

If I thought I felt sick before, now I felt even closer to throwing up my lunch and all that disgusting beer as I watched him slowly drag his tongue up and down her throat, sometimes tracing sensual circles as he made sure to collect ever single bead of blood. 'Vampire' was the only thought that came to my mind.

"Speaking of blood," the man said when he finally removed his mouth from her throat and his hand from her hair, so she could move her head back up and she found herself face to face with him again, her expression one of disgust as she saw him lick his lips to remove any stray traces of her blood, "How is your lip, pretty one?"

The man smirked at her as he tapped a finger to her bottom lip, in the exact place where the cut on her lip had been! So he had done that too, had he? This was getting worse and worse by the second. It felt like we'd been down here for an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than five minutes. The guys upstairs won't get worried until we'd been gone ten minutes, and by then it might already be too late.

"How's your nose?" Renami spat back, her lips curving into a small smirk for the first time in this stranger's presence. The man gave a dangerous growl and he somehow flipped Renami over so quick that if I had blinked, I'd have missed it, so now Renami was bent over the kitchen worktop, the intruder leaning over her, his crotch pressed hard against her rear and his knife back at her throat. I couldn't see Renami's or the stranger's face now, because they were both facing away from me, but I was glad I couldn't see Renami's face. If the man decided to take this any further, no one should be forced to stare into their friend's eyes as it happened. It wouldn't have happened anyway, because if it even looked for a split second like anything like that was going to happen, I would've moved as fast as I could and screamed like a banshee for the others to come quick, despite the warning this intruder had given Renami about shouting for the rest of us.

"You didn't let me finish telling you about what I'm going to do to your friends, pretty one, did you?" The man purred. Renami didn't reply so the man jerked his hips forwards, causing Renami to gasp in shock and struggle to free herself from his clutches, but he was much taller and stronger than she was, so she had no hope of getting away.

"Did you?" the man repeated, his mouth by her ear, his lips brushing against the lobe as he spoke.

"No…" Renami whispered. I could tell from the tone and quietness of her voice that all the fight had left her then. She could see it was pointless trying to get away. He was too strong. He had overpowered her.

"That's better," the man smiled, obviously happy that she had given up and I could tell, even though I couldn't see his face, that he was smirking at her, chuckling softly in her ear. Suddenly, I was filled with the overwhelming urge to run in there and attack this stranger, pound my fist into his smirking face and drive my knee deep into his stomach. I wanted to beat him within an inch of his life, but I knew that if I tried to run in and attack him, he'd swat me aside like some irksome fly without even looking up. I'm crapper than crap when it comes to fighting, so even if I tried to help, I wouldn't be helping Renami the slightest. In fact, I'd probably make things a Hell of a lot worse for all of us.

"I think I'll start with the one with white hair." The stranger spoke again, startling me out of my thoughts as he whispered maliciously to Renami, " The taller one. The one who thinks he's so commanding and untouchable. He's so arrogantly confident, I'd just love to tear him down, inch by inch, stripping away his so-called confidence until there's nothing left of him but a broken shell, weeping pathetically at my feet, pleading for his life. Hear him scream for mercy as I take him again and again, watching him bleed, tasting him in more ways than one. Can you imagine it, pretty one? Can you see it in your mind? I know I can…" the man broke off there with a lusty groan at the thought and I curled my hands into fists, my fingernails digging so deep into my flesh that they actually broke through, puncturing my skin and causing blood to well up in the small crescent shaped cuts on my palms. He was talking about Bakura. My love. My reason for living. _My Bakura_. His words had caused those horrible images to appear in my head and I knuckled my eyes hard with my clenched fists, trying to rub away the vivid pictures in my mind's eye.

"Stop… Please stop…" I heard Renami sob, that bastard's words causing her to weep. I couldn't blame her. The tears were starting to spill from my own eyes, "No more… Please… Don't say any more…"

The man cackled and then continued on as though he hadn't heard her.

"When I'm through with him, I think I'll move onto the youngest teen with the spiky-hair. The birthday boy." He paused when Renami gasped sharply, her fingernails scrabbling on the marble worktop she was pressed against.

"You've been spying on us?" She cried, "That's how you found me here! You've been following me!" The man nodded.

"Naturally." He replied and then continued from where he'd left off, "Where was I? Ah, yes, the small one. So sweet and pure. So innocent and youthful. When you look into his eyes, don't you just melt?"

"Stop! No more! Don't say anymore!" Renami interrupted, her struggling getting more violent. The more he spoke, the more she fought, her strength coming back to her in her desperation to escape his horrific words.

"I'd enjoy the young one's body very much, I think. Wouldn't you agree, my pretty? Imagine his crimson blood dripping down his soft, fair porcelain skin. I'd take him from the front, just so I get the added pleasure of staring deep into those breathtaking purple eyes as I pound into his tight little ass, listening to his screams, making him moan against his will. Imagine that voice moaning… God, imagine him moan as I break his fragile, delicate virgin body. Imagine it, pretty one. Imagine what else I could do to your friends. Imagine what I could do to _you_ right now…" he broke off, his voice barely louder than a whisper, full of malice and lust. Tears were flowing down my face, fast and thick, images of poor Yugi flashing through my brain along with the previous of Bakura. This man was disgusting! The thought of bringing pain to others obviously turned him on. But not just any pain, actual grievous bodily harm so bad that it would no doubt seriously injure or even kill whoever his unfortunate victim was. And from what I could see from here, Renami was getting closer and closer to becoming his next victim.

"Imagine what I could do to you right now…" the man repeated, removing the knife from her throat and gripping hold of her hips with both hands. I held my breath in fear, all my senses and instincts screaming at me to run like Hell, but I still couldn't move. It was like my feet had grown roots and planted themselves in the floorboards at my feet.

"Shut the fuck up!!" Renami snarled like a tigress and flung her now free arm back, driving her elbow into the bastard's stomach, making him grunt in pain and stagger back from her, winded, clutching his stomach as he gasped for breath. Renami straightened up and moved quickly away from the worktop, not wanting to be put back in that submissive position again. She stood over the intruder, the tear tracks that ran down her cheeks glittering in the light.

"I won't let you hurt them!" She vowed, wiping her eyes briefly with the back of her hands, the hatred in her eyes enough to melt twin holes through his head, "I won't let you hurt any of them! You'll have to get through me first!"

"I don't need to get through you, my pretty. You'll already be out of the way." He wheezed, glaring up at her through his longish dark brown locks, his evil green eyes bright with anger. I blinked at this statement and so did Renami as she stared down at him in suspicion and curiosity.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. The man's smirk returned, spreading across his face, making him look more evil than ever.

"Why do you think I came here? Stopped by for a chat? I don't think so. Yes, like you said, I've been following you since our last encounter in your apartment, but do you think I did it for fun? Because I'm a sick twisted perverted bastard who gets off at the thoughts of torture and rape? Well, I am, I can't deny that, but that's not the reason why I'm here."

"And why are you here?" Renami inquired, her voice filled with dread, as though she already knew why. His smirk widened.

"I'm here under orders. And I'm sure you can guess who's orders they are, can't you, _Kitten?_"

Renami's head jerked as though she'd been slapped when he said the word 'Kitten', and her face turned deathly pale, her amethyst eyes wide with fear. The most fear I've seen in her eyes the whole time she's been down here with this _monster_. The man straightened up and moved his arm away from his stomach, no longer panting for breath.

"You see, my pretty, your time is almost up. I warned you last time that your days were numbered until his return, didn't I? And now he comes. He sent me to tell you this. This is your last warning before his arrival. Stay here in Domino like a good little girl, and wait for the master to return for his kitten, or run and damn all your friends to a fate worse than death… Me." He laughed, reaching forwards and cupping Renami's chin in one hand, bringing her head up to look at him once more. She gave no resistance to his touch. All the fight had left her. I could tell by how her shoulders had slumped and her head hung, her gaze fixed down at the tiles beneath her feet.

The bastard grinned, running the flat of the blade he still held down the side of her face, brushing it gently against her skin.

"Personally, I hope you run. There's more fun in it for me that way. Then I can make all of those plans for your friends a reality. Won't that be fun, pretty one?"

Renami didn't reply to his touch or his words, and he smirked, obviously happy with her lack of response and then moved close again, his mouth to her ear once more and he whispered something so quietly to her that I couldn't hear it. Only Renami heard him, and her face paled, if possible, even more than it already had previously.

The man drew back from her, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"Well, it's been fun, my pretty, but I'm afraid it's time for me to go. Sayonara sweetheart. Don't forget what I've told you tonight. For your own sake." He said with a mock salute and a grin, and then he was gone, exiting the kitchen through the back door and disappearing into the darkness of the night. My gaze returned to Renami. She was still standing where he left her, staring straight ahead, her hands balled into fists as she fought back the tears that had welled up in her eyes. But after a few seconds, she couldn't hold them back any longer and she brought a hand up to her mouth to muffle her sobs as tears began to stream down her face.

Her legs seemed to crumple beneath her and she fell to the floor, sobbing piteously, her knees drawn up close to her chin. I watched her in horror, wondering what the Hell that bastard's departing message had been when he whispered it in her ear. Whatever it had been, it had somehow been horrific enough to make Renami Safiya break down in tears, and Renami was one of the most strong-willed girls I've ever known. Whenever she was sad, she always hid it beautifully and carried on as she usually would with the rest of us, but now… now she'd heard something that had upset her so much that it was just impossible for her to hide it. No. Upset wasn't the right word. Even the word devastated didn't seem to fit. She was beyond devastated.

She allowed herself one whole minute to cry to her heart's content and then she shakily pulled herself back to her feet, once again wiping her tears from her face as she made little hiccupping noises in her bid to stop crying. Finally her tears subsided and she made her way over to the sink, glanced at herself in the reflection of the window before her and then reached towards the tap with trembling hands.

She splashed cold water all over her face and neck, washing away the remainders of her blood and her tears, and when she'd turned off the tap, wiped her face thoroughly with a few pieces of kitchen roll and then thrown the sopping tissue into the bin, I knew it was time to make my appearance.

"Hey Rennie, what's taking you so long?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen, acting like I hadn't seen or heard anything of the confrontation between her and whoever the intruder was. Renami looked up at me with eyes that were red-rimmed from crying and she smiled widely at me, hiding her sadness beautifully, just as she always did.

"Oh, hey Ryou! Sorry, I couldn't find the damn bottle opener." She replied, picking up an unopened bottle from the table and tossing her lavender locks back over her shoulder

"Have you found it yet?"

"Yeah, someone had put it up on the top of the fridge, but its ok, I got it now." She said, flicking the cap off the bottle she held. I watched her silently as she opened eight more bottles and then I caught sight of the one that man had drunk from earlier, that he'd left sitting on the counter. Renami was doing her best to ignore it, pretending it wasn't there.

"What about that one there, Rennie?" I asked, throwing caution to the wind.

"Which one?" She asked and then looked over at the worktop, a small flicker of her held-back emotion momentarily passing over her eyes.

"Oh, that one. I forgot about that. It doesn't matter. We've got all we need, haven't we?"

I nodded, looking down at my feet instead of meeting her gaze. This was it. This was the last straw! I kept my mouth shut about her split lip, but now I know how she actually received it and now I know that there is obviously worse to come, I can't keep quiet about this any longer! I understand why Renami hasn't told us anything about this. It's because she's afraid. Not for herself. For us. Her friends. She's scared of anything happening to us, and would rather it all happened to her and we would be left blissfully unaware, but protected from harm. She's always been like that too. Always one of the first people to put herself in front of someone to take the blow for them. It's one of her greatest strengths, but also one of her greatest weaknesses too. She'd do anything for her friends.

But not anymore. I'm going to confront her about all this and then I'm going to drag her upstairs and make her tell the others, so we can put a stop to this together, and not let her suffer on her own, as she was doing now. We're going to help her and protect her as she would for us in the same situation. We'd figure something out, I'm sure we would.

"Ryou," Renami said, tearing me out of my thoughts for a moment.

"Yes?" I asked, looking up at her. Her smile had vanished and her eyes held a hint of sadness in their deep purple depths. I held my breath, wondering if she was going to tell me about everything that was going on. I prayed she would.

"You still haven't told anyone about when I split my lip, have you?"

"Of course not." I responded, smiling reassuringly at her. She smiled back and then surprised me a little by winding her arms around my neck and hugging me close, her head resting against my shoulder.

"Thank you, Ryou. I knew I could count on you. You're a true friend." She whispered and snuggled into my long white hair, unaware at just how much guilt her words had caused to rise up inside me. I couldn't say anything now. She trusted me too much and she'd never forgive me if I said anything. Oh, what was I going to do?

I hugged her back hard, forgetting everything else for the moment, concentrating only on her. For all I knew, this could be the last time I ever saw her, and I wanted to hold her close and remember her embrace, remember the softness of her silky hair as it brushed against the side of my face, remember her sweet vanilla scent, remember her lovely voice, her sunny laughter, and especially remember those amazing amethyst eyes of hers.

We broke apart somewhat reluctantly, as though she was thinking the same thing I was. Renami's smile had returned and she planted a small kiss on my cheek.

"Thanks again, Ryou. I owe you one." She winked playfully, obviously not seeing how much her happy façade was breaking my heart more and more as the seconds passed by. I smiled back at her, wishing there was some way I could… I don't even know what I wanted to do. My thoughts were so jumbled up in my head right now, and it was just impossible for me to think straight.

"Ryou, could you be a darling and grab some of those bottles for me?" Renami asked, gathering a few bottles of beer up in her arms.

"No problem," I replied and picked up the rest from the table, shared another smile with her and stepped back slightly, allowing her to lead the way out of the kitchen.

I don't know what the Hell I was smiling for. There wasn't anything to fucking smile about! But if by some miracle she keeps smiling, then I'll have to keep smiling too.

Because if I kept smiling, it took my mind off the dark feeling in my chest, the ever-growing warning that kept whispering to me that something very, very bad was about to happen…

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**Chiyo: Is that yet another bloody cliffy?**

**Cara: Um, no, it wasn't supposed to be… Anyways, please leave me some reviews and keep on reading, friends, because that's what keeps me going! Thanks, people! See ya soon!**


	16. A Plan of My Own

**Cara: Heya peoples, here's chappie 16 for ya!**

**Chiyo: Please read and review for us, ta.**

**Cara: Oh, and by the by, we're back to Renami's POV now. Don't get me wrong, I liked writing from Ryou's POV, but it's much easier to write from Renami's. Enjoy!**

**Chiyo: Ok, disclaimer. We don't own Yugioh. We might want to own it, but we don't. and we don't own Advil or Vodka neither, so no suing.**

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Chapter 16:

Someone was shaking my shoulder, trying to bring me back to the land of the living. Y'know, the land where you suffer from unbearable hangovers after you've drunk practically your own bodyweight in alcohol the night before. Do you really think I wanted to wake up to that? Fuck no.

"Renami?"

I groaned and rolled over, swatting away whoever it was with my hand, ferociously determined to stay asleep for as long as I possibly could. No way was I getting up. Not for all the money in the world. Not even for all the _chocolate_ in the world, and trust me, when I refuse chocolate, then you know you haven't a chance in Hell.

"Wake up, Renami. Time to get up." Came the voice again, shaking my shoulder a little more forcefully than the first time.

"Go away…" I mumbled, burrowing myself deeper in the covers, "Too tired… sleep good…"

I heard a rustle of material as the evil Sleep-Hater leant over me, his breath warm on the back of my neck, his long hair tickling my skin, making me twitch slightly.

"Oh, come on, Rennie, its nearly four in the afternoon!"

"Go fuck Marik…" I grunted in response and made like an ostrich, sticking my head under the pillow and clamping it down over my ears, trying to block out all sounds. My relentless awakener seemed amused by this.

"Go fuck Marik?" He snorted, "As much as I'd love to, he's still comatose from last night. I don't think he's moved his head from the medicine cabinet since ten o'clock this morning. He's popping Advil like M&Ms."

"Go fuck Ryou instead then…" I grumbled again, my voice muffled by the pillow over my head.

"Ryou's in the bathroom, throwing up his guts. And just in case you want to tell me to fuck anyone else, Yami can barely lift his head from the kitchen table, Yugi's still intoxicated, Joey's asleep in the bathtub, Duke's sprawled on the sofa with a bag of frozen peas on his head and Bakura's got the beer shakes so bad that he can't even hold his cock steady to take a piss."

I blinked and lifted my head slightly, but still holding the pillow in place.

"Why's Duke got a bag of frozen peas on his head?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Because he woke up this morning with a bruise the size of Kaiba's ego on his forehead and he has absolutely no idea how it got there."

"Oh, right."

The bed dipped suddenly as I felt him sit himself down on the mattress beside me.

"Come on, get your lazy ass outta bed before I get it out for you." He said. I let go of my pillow and surfaced out from underneath it, blinking at the sudden glare of the sun. He must've opened the curtains so the light would stop me from going back to sleep. Bastard.

I turned over and glared blearily at him, the sunlight reflecting off his platinum blond bangs damn near blinding me as his mauve eyes glittered mischievously.

"You go ahead and try, Malik, and I promise I'll kick your ass straight into next week. Don't come between me and sleep, especially not when there's hangovers involved. Go wake Joey up or something, if he's in the bath." I said, turning back to grab my pillow once more, but before I could, Malik's weight moved from the bed and my quilt vanished with him, letting the freezing cold morning air come rushing in to attack me. I shivered violently and looked up to see Malik stood before me, holding my quilt and smirking. I growled and curled myself up into a ball to conserve as much of my remaining heat as I could, trying to resist the urge to leap up and strangle him.

"You bastard, oh you cruel cruel bastard, Malik Ishtar! Just wait until I get my hands on you! Give me back my fucking quilt!" I snarled with more venom than a rattler. Malik's smirk just widened and took a step further away from the bed, taking the quilt out of my reach. The only way I'd be able to get it back now was if I got out of bed, and that was so not gonna happen.

"You've had enough time to sleep. Grandpa Mutou told me to get everyone up so he could start tidying up the mess we made in the living room. And anyway, this isn't your quilt. It's Yugi's. How did you end up asleep in his bed?" Malik asked, reaching back towards me to pull the pillow away from me along with the quilt.

"Malik, to be honest I was so rat-arsed last night that I could've ended up sleeping anywhere. I'm just glad it was a bed and not the bathtub." I replied, doubling my grip on the pillow and growling at him warningly, "Don't you _dare_ touch this pillow, or _you'll_ be the one needing the Advil, not your lover."

He backed away slightly, palms spread in surrender as he grinned at me.

"Ok, ok, I can take a hint. I won't touch your pillow. Happy now?"

"Give me back that quilt and go away, and then I will be."

"No chance."

"Damn you, Ishtar, you Quilt Nazi." I growled in defeat and sat up in bed, yawning and stretching widely, working the tiredness out of my limbs at the same time as trying my damn hardest to ignore the thumping pain echoing around inside my head. I'm sure I'm not alone here when I say all hangovers are bitches.

I clutched my head in my hands and knuckled at my temples, trying to knead the pain away. Did it work? Did it fuck.

"Argh! My head! It feels like it's on fire!" I groaned aloud, making a mental note to track down the person who invented hangovers and shoot them. Wait… would that be God? Oops… maybe I won't shoot him then…

"Really? My head's fine." Malik said, a little too smug for my liking. I peered up at him through my curtain of lavender hair.

"How come?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"Bitch."

"Thank you."

I swung my legs out of the side of the bed and he extended his hand out to me, ever the gentleman, and helped drag me to my feet. Instantly, the room spun and I gripped on tight to him, my nails digging into his shirt and also the skin underneath it.

"OWWW!! Retract the claws, please, Catwoman!" Malik cried out, pulling at my wrists. I let go of him when I was steady enough on my feet.

"What, Malik? I thought you masochists enjoyed pain?" I said, smiling up at him innocently. He glared at me, rubbing his chest.

"The only pain _I_ enjoy is something long and hard being shoved up my ass in a rhythmical fashion."

"Ok, that's way too much info and scarring mental imagery for me…" I muttered, shaking my head. Trust Malik to put it so delicately. Well, I suppose he could've said something much worse and descriptive, but thankfully for my sanity, he didn't.

Malik walked over to the door and bowed low to me, smiling.

"After you, my lady." He said, his voice layered with playful charm. I grinned at him and curtseyed in response, playing along.

"Why, thank you, good sir. Now will you be so kind as to escort her ladyship downstairs?" I asked. He straightened up and offered me his arm, which I took and we left the room to start our descent down the stairs to the Game Shop below, where, from the sounds I could already here halfway down the stairs, the others were already waiting. Me and Malik navigated our way around the displays and stands of the Game Shop with ease and when he opened the door to the kitchen, I was immediately hit with the delicious smell of bacon and eggs. Oh my God, bacon and eggs has never smelled so good!

I couldn't get through that door fast enough, practically shoving Malik out of my way in my haste. Hey, I was hungry, alright? I only had a few handfuls of popcorn last night before we decided against eating it and started throwing it at each other instead in an all-out Popcorn War. Obviously we had been a tad tipsy then. Perhaps more than a tad.

"Whoever's making bacon and eggs, I'll love them forever!" I cried, making straight for the grill where Ryou was stood, holding a frying pan over the heat with one hand and clutching a spatula in the other. He looked up when he heard me and smiled, albeit a little weakly. His face was paler than usual, (and that's saying something!) and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey, Ryou, you ok?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm just not used to drinking so much, that's all." He said, waving my worries away with a twirl of the spatula in his hand and he returned back to the grill. I smiled at him and turned my attention to the kitchen table where the others were sat, all looking like death. Bakura was sat scowling straight ahead through bleary bloodshot eyes, Yami was slumped over the table so I wasn't even sure if he was awake or not, Joey was yawning widely, his blond hair damp for some reason, Duke's face was almost completely obscured by a large family pack of frozen garden peas and Marik was sat with a tub of Advil in each hand, growling warningly at anyone who came too close. In fact, the only one of them that looked even remotely alive was Yugi, who was bouncing up and down on his chair, unable to sit still, a wild look in his eyes. This was a look I'd seen before. The look of the infamous Yugi Mutou Sugar Rush. Uh oh.

"Christ, you guys look about as good as I feel." I said, making my way over to join them. Yami lifted his head from the table, looking up at me with eyes so bloodshot that practically his entire eye was red.

"You feel like shit?" He asked.

"Yep."

"Join the club." He said and then his head dropped back down onto the table again. I laughed and sat myself down on the seat between him and Joey before reaching over the table and holding my hand out to Marik.

"Hand 'em over, Marik." I gestured to the Advil in his hands.

"No!" He cried, looking horrified as he held onto his precious Advil tighter, hugging it close like some little kid with a teddy bear. I rolled my eyes.

"I only want one, not the whole bloody tub."

He brightened considerably at that and gave me one of his precious pills, which I immediately swallowed, washing it down with Joey's cup of orange juice, knowing that the blond wouldn't mind.

"So, have any of you guys got plans for today?" Malik asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of milk which he proceeded to tear the top off and drink straight from the bottle, downing the lot in about three gulps.

"Malik! That's disgusting! Get a glass, would you?" Ryou said, his nose crinkled in disgust at his friend's unsanitary habits as he skirted around the platinum blond teen with his frying pan of bacon and eggs in hand. He started dishing out the grub equally onto our plates and I practically inhaled mine, holding my plate out for seconds before he had chance to sit down. Bakura raised his eyebrows at me.

"Hungry?"

"Famished." I responded, instantly pouncing on my second helping as soon as Ryou put it on my plate. Bakura rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head.

"No, I don't think we got any plans. Have we, Ryou?" Ryou looked thoughtful for a moment as he dropped a few more rashers of bacon onto his lover's plate.

"Yes we have, actually. You've got a dentists appointment today, Bakura. Remember?" Ryou replied and Bakura nearly choked on his mouthful of bacon in surprise.

"Dentists? But you said I didn't have to go!" Bakura cried, leaping up from his chair and throwing himself down at Ryou's feet, hugging at his boyfriend's leg. "Don't make me go there, Ryou! Please!"

"Sorry Bakura, but you're going and that's that." Ryou said, grabbing onto the table for balance as Bakura howled in horror and clutched at his leg tighter. It was so freaking hilarious that none of us sat around the table could keep a straight face, even despite our hangovers, at seeing Bakura, who was always so cool and confident, reduced to begging pathetically at his lover's feet.

"_I think I'll start with the one with white hair. The taller one. The one who thinks he's so commanding and untouchable. He's so arrogantly confident, I'd just love to tear him down, inch by inch, stripping away his so-called confidence until there's nothing left of him but a broken shell, weeping pathetically at my feet, pleading for his life. Hear him scream for mercy as I take him again and again, watching him bleed, tasting him in more ways than one. Can you imagine it, pretty one? Can you see it in your mind? I know I can…"_

I shook my head violently and pressed the palms of my hands against my eyes, trying to block out the images at the same time as trying to get rid of that horrible voice echoing loudly around inside my head. Even when he wasn't here, I could still hear his horrific words from last night. Just seeing Bakura pleading at Ryou's feet instantly triggered that horrible thought to reappear into my head in the blink of an eye.

_Shut up!_ I growled in my head, _Shut the fuck up and leave me alone!_

A warm hand laid itself gently on my arm and I looked up quickly.

"Renami, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Yugi asked, concern swimming in those beautiful eyes of his.

"_Ah, yes, the small one. So sweet and pure. So innocent and youthful. When you look into his eyes, don't you just melt?"_

"No, no, nothing's wrong. I'm ok, Yugi." I replied, trying to give him a reassuring smile at the same time as avoiding looking at his eyes. I felt anything but ok. No one else had noticed that there was something wrong with me, because their attentions were still focused on Bakura who was now nearly on the verge of tears, hugging Ryou's leg so tight that he was practically stopping the blood flow to his toes. But not Yugi. He was staring straight at me, worry etched deep into his features.

"Are you sure? You don't look ok."

"I'm fine. Really." I said hurriedly, looking down instead of meeting his gaze. This was a big mistake, for the moment I caught sight of Yugi's pale fingers resting on my darker skin, that voice returned, louder than ever. So loud that I was sure Yugi could hear it too.

"_I'd enjoy the young one's body very much, I think. Wouldn't you agree, my pretty? Imagine his crimson blood dripping down his soft, fair porcelain skin. I'd take him from the front, just so I get the added pleasure of staring deep into those breathtaking purple eyes as I pound into his tight little ass, listening to his screams, making him moan against his will. Imagine that voice moaning… God, imagine him moan as I break his fragile, delicate virgin body. Imagine it, pretty one. Imagine what else I could do to your friends. Imagine what I could do to you right now…"_

I screwed my eyes up tight, balling my hands into fists, resisting the urge to groan out loud and clutch my head. That would've looked even more suspicious and no doubt would've caught the others' attentions too, something that I didn't want to happen.

"Renami?" Yugi asked again, his hand gripping hold of my own in a sort of protective grip which I was glad of, because holding his hand anchored me to reality instead of losing myself in the words echoing around inside my skull. I squeezed his hand back, trying my damn hardest to banish the voice from my thoughts. After a few moments of intense mental struggle, I somehow managed to block out the voice completely by sheer determination and willpower and I opened my eyes, even daring to look up and meet Yugi's worried gaze again.

"I'm ok, Yug. I'm just not used to hangovers. Well, not as bad as this, anyway." I said, smiling at him. He looked relieved and smiled back at me, albeit still a little anxiously.

"You had me worried for a minute there, Rennie." He said with a nervous chuckle. I grinned fondly and ruffled his shock of spiky tri-coloured hair.

"You're always worried about me, Yugi." I laughed. He giggled and ducked to avoid my ruffling of his hair.

"Especially about you, because you're always the one who gets into the most trouble." He grinned impishly, earning him a playful clip around the head.

"Oi, watch it Yugi Mutou. This bitch bites." I said, baring my teeth at him and removing my hand from his hair with a smile. He smiled back at me, all his previous worries forgotten as he turned back to his plate and proceeded in trying to coax Yami back into consciousness by waving a few rashers of bacon under his nose. I shook my head at him with a smile and then returned my attention to the rest of the gang. Joey and Duke were wolfing down their bacon and eggs so fast it almost looked like a competition between them. Heh. I never thought I'd meet someone who could match Joey Wheeler's speed and supremacy when it came to devouring food, and then Duke Devlin came along. I suppose miracles do happen every once in a while. Yami was still comatose on the table, ignoring Yugi's attempts to rouse him and Marik and Malik had found themselves in one of their usual ferocious make-out sessions, Malik succeeding in momentarily diverting Marik's attention from his beloved Advil. Bakura was sat back in his chair, Ryou having either said or done something to make his lover relinquish his hold on his leg, and the taller whitenette was now stabbing moodily at his egg yolk with a fork, muttering something under his breath in Egyptian, occasionally glaring at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eye.

Speaking of his boyfriend, I glanced up at Ryou and was surprised to find him already staring straight at me, his chocolate eyes hard and his mouth half-open, looking as though he was just about to say something, but then he caught himself at the last moment and tore his gaze from mine, turning back to the grill. I looked at his back quizzically, taking in the tenseness of his shoulders and the whiteness of his knuckles as he held the frying pan in a grip of steel. What was wrong with him? Had he seen what just happened with me and Yugi? Or was it something more than that? Did he know something that he wasn't telling anybody? Well, I already knew that one, since he was still keeping quiet about my split lip, as far as I knew, but I couldn't help wondering if there was something else besides that…

I shook off my suspicions. If Ryou knew something else, he would've told me by now. He's a great guy who you can always count on and trust him with your life. They all are. That's why I love them so much. They mean the world to me.

I looked up at the clock mounted on the wall beside the fridge. 4:36pm.Christ, had I really been asleep that long? I know Malik had said it was after four when he woke me up, but I didn't believe him at the time. I thought it was just another ploy to get me out of bed. How time flies when you're asleep. And drunk.

"_You see, my pretty, your time is almost up. I warned you last time that your days were numbered until his return, didn't I? And now he comes. He sent me to tell you this. This is your last warning before his arrival. Stay here in Domino like a good little girl, and wait for the master to return for his kitten, or run and damn all your friends to a fate worse than death… Me."_

My time was running out fast. Way too fast for my liking. In Scott's final chilling message he had whispered in my ear before he left last night he told me everything that Alex has planned for me, saying that he's has come to claim what always should've been his and that I had little over twenty-four hours before he came back and made sure to make those plans a reality. But he wasn't the only one with plans. Last night I might've been pissed out of my brains thanks to endless bottles of beer and shots of Vodka, but that didn't stop me thinking. It didn't stop me coming up with a plan of my own. Ok, it wasn't exactly ingenious or imaginative in any way, but it sure would be a nasty shock to my dear beloved _ex-boyfriend_ when he found out about it. Sure, he'd probably beat the crap out of me in response, but at least I would have something to be triumphant about in the aftermath. If there would even _be _an aftermath.

Now all I needed was someone to help me accomplish my task, and I already had the perfect person in mind for the job. After all, he's obviously used to this sort of thing. Except he won't be paying me for my services, worst luck. How ironic is it that my salvation lies with one of the people I can't stand the most? Fucking typical for me.

"Hey, Renami. Are you doing anything today? We were on about going down to Domino Park. You wanna come with?" Joey asked as he stood up from his chair, collected up our now empty plates and dumped them in the sink. I looked back to find them all looking at me expectantly.

"Uh, no, I can't. Sorry guys, I've got some stuff I need to take care of." I replied, smiling apologetically. Their faces fell slightly, especially Yugi's.

"Oh, why? Can't it wait until later? We won't be out there long anyway since Ryou needs to take Bakura to the dentist." He cried, brushing a few stray strands of hair back from his face as he gazed at me pleadingly with his large beautiful bambi eyes. I shook my head sadly, smirking a little as Bakura growled savagely at the word 'Dentist'.

"I'm sorry Yug, it can't wait. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow instead? After dinner? We could meet up here, at the Game Shop and then we'll decide where we're going from then. That ok?" I said, guilt rising inside me like a tidal wave. I knew all too well that it would be a bloody miracle if I was here at all tomorrow afternoon, but I couldn't say that out loud, could I? I'd rather let them keep on oblivious rather than let them attempt to intervene and get caught up in the crossfire. That's the last thing I wanted to happen.

Yugi, bless his heart, brightened at my suggestion and beamed a sunny smile, nodding his head vigorously.

"Yeah, us lot will go down to Domino Park for a few hours today, and then we'll all get together tomorrow. Is that good for everyone?"

The others all agreed without hesitation and I smiled, getting to my feet.

"Right, well, I'm going to go get dressed and then I'll be going. Will any of you gallant gentlemen offer to walk the lady home? Or are you all going to be lazy gits and make me walk on my own?" I asked with a playful grin. Joey got to his feet instantly.

"We'll walk you, Rennie. It's not safe for you to be out on your own. Who knows who could be out there?" he said, looking at me meaningfully. I understood what he was talking about. He didn't want me to go through another alleyway encounter. Joey's always been fiercely protective over his friends, but since what happened to me and him in that alley, he's become even more protective than ever.

"Joey, you don't need to. It's four in the afternoon, it's not even dark out yet and it's only a few blocks to my street. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine."

"You can never be sure, Renami. It's better to be safe than sorry, so you go get dressed and we'll be ready when you come back down, ok?" He replied, giving me no room for argument as he practically pushed me out of the kitchen and halfway up the stairs before I had chance to respond.

"Joey, you really don't have to. I know how hung over we all are and the last thing we want to do right now is go outside into daylight. I'll be ok on my own." I protested as he marched me up the stairs like an army sergeant.

"There's no point arguing with me, Renami. We're walking you home and there's nothing you can say or do that could stop us." He said, stubborn as a mule.

"You are being way too overprotective, Joey." I said as we finished our ascent up the stairs and began walking down the corridor to Yugi's bedroom.

"With good reason," Joey answered and then he stopped walking and sighed, turning me around to face him. His toffee eyes were sad as he gazed at me with a tired expression that had nothing to do with his hangover, his hands resting gently on my shoulders.

"Look, Renami. I know maybe I'm being more protective over you than I should be, but that's because you were there down that alley with me. You know what happened. We weren't expecting that ambush then, in the dark, down a lonely secluded street. You'd be even more unsuspecting in the broad daylight. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, if they want to finish the job, then they will. We got off lightly last time, but that won't happen again."

"Got off lightly?" I snorted humourlessly, "They drugged us both, and then they raped and beat the living daylights out of you. How was that getting off lightly?"

"At least they didn't get that far with you. At least we're alive. That's something to be thankfully for." He sighed again, "I just don't want to wake up tomorrow morning to a phone call telling me that my best friend's dead body was found in some back street a few blocks away, ok? Don't make me to go through that, Renami. Don't _ever_ make me go through something like that."

"Don't worry, Joey. I won't. I promise I won't wind up dead in some alleyway." I said with a small smile.

"Good." He said, giving me a slight grin as he wrapped his arms tight around me, holding me close to his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. I snuggled up to him, listening to the steady thump of his heart, hating myself more and more the seconds passed by. I should tell him now. Tell him the truth. He deserves to know it. They all do, before it was too late. Or maybe it was already too late. Events had been set in motion that even they couldn't stop, no matter how hard they tried.

After a few moments, Joey released me and smiled, running his hand through his still damp blond locks.

"Oh, so sentimental, Joey Wheeler," I grinned, punching him lightly on the arm, "You're not going soft on me, are you?"

He grinned back at me.

"You wish, Renami Safiya." He chuckled, ruffling my hair affectionately with his cast-free hand, just like I had done with Yugi back in the kitchen.

"Go on, get dressed and we'll meet you down in the shop, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Joey." I smiled, waving as I walked away from him and back into Yugi's bedroom, closing the door behind me. I made my way across the room, stooping only to retrieve Yugi's quilt and throw it back on the bed, straightening it out and smoothing away the creases. My bag was already sat waiting for me in the corner of the room, since I left it in here after I got changed into my PJs yesterday evening when I first arrived.

I sighed as I knelt down before it and felt around inside it, looking for my clean clothes. This was a total nightmare. I don't think I could've deceived my friends more if I tried. Making arrangements to meet up with them all tomorrow? Making promises I knew I couldn't keep? What the fuck was wrong with me? But then again… maybe I could still meet up with them tomorrow. If I woke up early enough, maybe I could spend a few hours with them before… well, just before.

I dragged my jeans out from my bag, growling at myself. What a stupid idea. If I met up with them, I could be putting them in even more danger. They'd be dropped in it up to the eyeballs, and there'd be nothing I could do about it. Especially if he thought to use them as leverage. Then I'd be even more royally screwed than I could've ever thought possible. Oh, the joys of being me.

When I was fully dressed, I stuffed the rest of my clothes back into my bag and zipped it up, slinging it back onto my shoulder as I stood up, catching sight of myself in the mirror. I looked at myself for a moment and my reflection stared back at me, her eyes swirling with determination, but there was also a flicker of uncertainty in their purple depths. Ok, maybe more than a flicker.

What I was about to do… was it the right thing? Was it really necessary, or was I just tempting fate? Was I going way too far?

I narrowed my eyes at myself in the mirror, my mind made up.

Well… there's only one way to find out…

* * *

There was no going back now. I was stood facing the door, my hand inches away from the doorbell and it was now that I was just starting to realise that I hadn't really thought this through that well. Yeah, it sounded relatively simple in my head: Just go in, take care of business and get the Hell back out again, but when it came to real life, all the possible complications sprang to mind, making me think more and more that this was a bad idea.

It hadn't taken long for the guys to walk me home, and the instant they had disappeared out of sight round the corner, I got showered, changed and then relayed my plan out to Gracie, who was, to put it mildly, less than impressed by it. I don't understand why, though. It's not exactly like it actually _meant_ anything, or was going to mean anything in the long term. I just saw it as business, and I knew that, being a businessman himself, he would no doubt see it the same way. No strings attached, no hidden twists, just a good old-fashioned accord. Huh. Yeah right.

Although I wanted to come around here the moment I was ready, just so I could get this over and done with before I changed my mind and chickened out, but I forced myself to sit down and wait a few hours in front of the TV, anxiously picking at my nails and glancing every now and then up at the clock, waiting.

I waited until the sun had completely set and darkness had fallen before I left, calling my goodbyes back to Gracie as I walked through the door and locked it behind me, wishing that I really had a better plan than this.

And so, just over forty-five minutes later, I found myself in the opposite side of town, standing in front of the door of my destination, trying to muster up as much courage as I could to ring the doorbell. Oh God! What was I doing here? Was I out of my fucking mind? Maybe if I just turned around and walked away now, I could-

Suddenly, my finger grew a mind of its own and jabbed the doorbell, making me wince as I heard the resounding trill echo through the building. Oh great. Just bloody perfect.

_Please don't answer the door. Please don't answer the door. Please let him not be in, please God, I'm begging you, don't let him open this door!_ I prayed, my eyes tightly shut as I heard footsteps approaching, coming down the staircase.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

The footsteps grew louder the closer their owner got to the door. I opened my eyes and I could see the silhouette through the glass pane in the door. Oh no! It was him who was going to answer the door!

_Double shit, double shit, double shit, double shit, double shit, double shit!_

The door opened and light spilled through, bathing me and the path I was stood on in yellow light. A figure now stood there, glaring out coldly through the darkness, trying to see who had the nerve to disturb him at this hour.

"Safiya? What are you doing here?" Kaiba asked when he spotted me, stepping further out into the light and casting a dark shadow across the path. He looked mildly surprised to see me, but then again I could hardly blame him. It was late, and I'd turned up on his doorstep without warning. I wondered briefly if I'd woke him up, but then I noticed that he was still wearing his everyday clothes. Unless, of course, that he happens to sleep in those instead of PJs. I dunno. Anything's possible with Seto Kaiba.

I didn't answer him, instead choosing to peer past him, scanning the inside of the mansion behind him.

"Are you on your own?" I asked, moving my gaze back to meet his.

"Yes, why?"

"Where's Mokuba?"

"Sleeping out at a friend's house."

"And Rehema?"

"She's already gone home for the night. Why do you want to know? Why are you even here?" Kaiba said, now looking more pissed off than surprised. I balled my hands into fists at my sides, my fingernails digging into my palms as I mentally steeled myself for what I was about to do.

"Kaiba, I wanted to… talk to you." Talk? Trust me, I won't be doing much talking. "I wanted to ask you a favour."

His lips curled up into their usual cold smirk, his cerulean eyes icy as he looked down at me. I stared back defiantly, resisting the urge to punch him. Violence wasn't needed here tonight. Well, not yet, anyway.

"Oh really, and what favour would that be?" He sneered. I almost growled at him, but by some miracle I managed to keep my cool. I glared at him.

"Well, if you let me in, I'll tell you." I responded, folding my arms across my chest. His smirk widened and he folded his own arms, leaning against the doorframe.

"Tell me and I'll let you in," he replied mockingly, obviously trying to piss me off. He was succeeding.

I made to retort angrily, but then I caught myself, a sudden idea springing to mind.

"Fine, then. If that's the way it's gonna be, I think I'll go and take my business elsewhere," I said sassily, turning around and tossing my hair back over my shoulder as I began to walk away from him, back down the path from which I came, "Enjoy the rest of your night."

He let me walk at least a few metres before I paused when I heard him sigh in annoyance.

"Fine. You can come in." He growled, rolling his eyes. I turned around, my smirk wide enough to rival his own from a few moments ago as I sauntered back over to him, smiling serenely.

"Thanks, Kaiba. I knew you'd see it my way." I purred as he moved aside slightly to let me into his mansion. He grunted at me as I passed him, giving me his usual half-amused, half-disgusted look as he shut the door behind me. I paused in the entrance hall, looking over at him expectantly.

"We can talk in my office." He said, not bothering to look at me as he started up the grand staircase to the first floor, me not far behind, trying to ignore the growing feeling of guilt building up inside me, forcing it's way up my throat like bile.

Did I really need to go through with this? Was there any real reason? Or was I just being selfish? Maybe that's just what it was: Me being selfish. Just because I didn't want Alex to do what he wanted to do to me, I was dragging someone else in to do it before he had chance. And that someone was in front of me right now, striding up the steps with ease, as cool as a block of ice, completely unsuspecting.

I drew in a deep breath, preparing myself as we completed our ascent and he strode through the door to his office, wasting no time to seat himself in the chair behind his desk. I shut the door slowly behind me, wanting to delay the moment for as long as possible. When I turned around to face him, he was staring straight at me, his face impassive.

"What is it that you want, Safiya?" he asked, surveying me coolly over his steeped fingers. I took another deep breath. This was it. It was now, or never.

Oh well… Here goes nothing…

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**Cara: Can any of you guess what she's about to do?**

**Chiyo: Why? What? What's she about to do?**

**Cara: Have you actually read this?**

**Chiyo: Of course!**

**Cara: Somehow I doubt that very much. Please leave me reviews, because they're the things that keep me writing! Luv ya!**


	17. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

**Cara: 0.0**

**Chiyo: Whoa, what's up with you?**

**Cara: 0.0**

**Chiyo: Hello? Hikari? –reads through chapter- Oh…**

**Cara: You got it.**

**Chiyo: I think we better slip a little warning in here, shouldn't we? Ok. This chapter contains SMUT! You no like, then you no read. Simple as.**

**Cara: Please review, but be kind. This is my first attempt at something like this, y'know? Thanks!**

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Chapter 17:

Seto's POV:

"What is it that you want, Safiya?" I asked, staring coolly over my steeped fingers, surveying her steadily, readying myself for another one of her pathetic 'I want answers' rants. God, I couldn't stand those things. Every time we had the misfortune of meeting, she would always kick off with the same old shit. I swear, if I heard another one of those infuriating speeches ever again in my life, I think I'd just kill myself there and then. No joke.

She didn't answer me, instead tilting her head to one side as she looked at me, seemingly contemplating something. What? I didn't know. Nor did I care. All I wanted was for her to get on with her little 'talk' and then go, so I could get back to my work. Fuck, why was she even here, anyway? At this time of night? Didn't she realise how much paperwork I had to sort through for tomorrow's board meeting? Obviously fucking not.

"Well?" I said impatiently after a few moments of time-wasting silence, "I'm waiting, Safiya."

No sooner had the words left my mouth when she decided to make her move. Just not the move I'd expected her to make, for one minute she was stood at the opposite side of the room, staring at me whilst obviously deep in thought, and the next minute, she was on my lap, straddling my thighs before I had chance to blink.

I completely froze in shock, gaping up at her with my mouth practically resting on the Goddamn carpet, my usual icy demeanour cracking like cheap glass. Her hands were gripping at my shirt collar, holding on tight for fear that I was going to throw her off me. Huh. I wasn't going anywhere, even if I wanted to. It felt like I was bound to my chair with invisible ropes. I just couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried. But that didn't stop me talking, did it?

"Safiya! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" I all but snarled angrily, finally finding my voice at long last, mentally struggling to get my composure back in check. Both my hands flew up and grabbed hold of her hands at my collar, gripping her wrists tight, perhaps a little more tightly than was really necessary. It must've hurt, because she gave a slight grimace of pain, but she recovered quickly and her lips curled into a seductive smirk. God, just that one smirk made my cock twitch eagerly in anticipation. This was not going to end well. I could already see that.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she responded silkily, scooting forwards on my lap so the lower half of her body was even closer to my own. I nearly swallowed thickly, but then I remembered who I was. My pride was at stake here.

I opened my mouth to growl an angry retort at her, but at that precise moment she gave a small experimental movement of her hips, brushing against my groin with just enough pressure to make me gasp aloud before I could stop myself, releasing her wrists to grab hold of the edge of the desk instead. Her smirk grew, her eyes glinting with triumph.

"Get the Hell off me, Safiya!" I hissed, but I wasn't even a hundred percent sure that I actually wanted her to move off me. My mouth was saying _'no'_, but my body was screaming _'Hell yes!'_. Especially my lower regions. You don't even want to know what they were screaming!

"Why should I?" Safiya replied, rolling her hips against mine again, this time a lot harder than the first. I bit my lip to stop a moan escaping my mouth as she pressed against my now achingly obvious erection. _Oh_ _my God_… My body was seriously betraying me. Big time.

Her grin widened, if possible, more than it already had.

"You liked that, didn't you, Kaiba?" she smirked. Words deserting me, I shook my head slightly, which, of course, caused her to do it again, this time putting on even more pressure. It took me every scrap of self-control I had to stop myself from crying out. I was gripping onto the desk so tight, my knuckles had gone white. Oh God, if this is a test, I fear I may fail. Badly.

"You're lying!" she giggled, releasing my collar and letting her hands move slowly down my chest, her touches soft and sensual, even through the material of my shirt.

When the fuck did Safiya become such a cock-tease? As far as I knew, she was still a virgin, yet she was putting on a much better show than some of the prostitutes I used to hire. With them, it was basically lay back and get on with it, and they'd leave about fifteen minutes later, cash in hand. Safiya, on the other hand, seemed more than happy to prolong the inevitable.

"What are you trying to do, Safiya?" I demanded and she rolled her eyes at me, her seductiveness vanishing in a heatbeat to be replaced with a familiar pissed off exasperation.

"Are you stupid or something, Kaiba? Isn't it fucking _obvious_?" She growled in annoyance, removing her hands (regrettably) from my chest and leaning back, folding her arms as she scowled down at me with disdain. I glared back up at her, still trying to remain in control even though she was the one on top. Psychologically, she was in the power position, but she won't there for much longer. I intended to make sure of that.

"I can see _what_ you're doing, I just want to know _why_." I replied, wishing, for some reason, that she'd move forwards on my lap again. Oh wait, I know what reason. The fucking tent pitched in my pants was the fucking reason.

"I have my reasons." She replied, not meeting my gaze. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"And what reasons are those?"

She looked back at me, her eyes as hard as the bulge in my pants, which, by the way, were _extremely_ tight right now.

"_My_ reasons. And you don't need to know them." She replied, uncrossing her arms and tossing her head, sending her long locks flying over her shoulder in a shimmering cascade of pale lavender, "You're asking way too many questions, and I'm not in the mood to answer them."

She moved back towards me, pressing her chest against mine, her face literally inches from my own as her smirk reappeared, her amethyst eyes sparkling mischievously as her arms snaked around my neck and she threaded her fingers deep into my hair. Her whole body language just oozed pure sex, and as much as I hate to admit it, it was a struggle not to leap up, throw her back onto my desk and ravage her there and then. She was certainly asking for it, and I knew I couldn't control myself for long. This was torture! Pure fucking torture! Oh Lord, I'm begging you, give me strength!

"Ok, Kaiba. Here's the deal." Safiya said, twirling a lock of my chestnut brown hair around her fingers as she spoke, "The way I see it, you've got two options. One: You can shut up with the questions and play my game with me, or two: I can leave and we can forget this ever happened. It's your choice. Either way, I don't care. It's up to you."

She placed a gentle kiss on my lips when she finished talking, her amazing eyes fixed on mine expectantly as she waited for my answer. Bloody Hell! And to think that I had expected to be up to my eyeballs in my work tonight, whereas instead I was being practically dry humped by a frisky virgin. A completely unexpected turn of events, but not really an unpleasant one. The opposite, in fact.

"Well? I'm waiting, Kaiba." She smirked, mimicking what I said to her a few moments ago. Y'know, before she decided to give me a raging hard on with her hip-grinding, "Are you going to play with me, or shall I go and find someone else to have fun with?"

To my complete and utter astonishment, I found myself growling at her words, both vocally and mentally. _Over my dead body! If you think I'm going to let you leave after you've just given me the fucking hard on from Hell, then you've got another thing coming, Renami Safiya!_

I suddenly realised I'd actually said this out loud when her eyes widened in surprise and her hands slackened slightly in my hair, but I didn't give a damn. About time I regained control, I think.

With another feral growl, I swiftly rose from my chair, grabbing her by the hips and throwing her back heavily onto my desk, where she landed with a loud thump as her body met with the solid wood. Almost immediately, she struggled to get back up again, but I stopped her by pressing myself against her, forcing her legs to either side of my body as I pinned her to the desk, my hands planted firmly into the wood at either side of her head. Hmm, now didn't _this_ look familiar…

"Who's on top now, Safiya?" I smirked as she looked up at me with a stunned expression, her eyes slightly fearful, "It's not wise to bait a man like me, as you're about to find out."

"Oh, I certainly hope so." She purred, her smirk returning as she swiftly recovered from the shock of our swift change in position. She tilted her chin slightly, gazing up at me, her eyes twinkling wickedly as she wriggled a little beneath me, "So does this mean you'll play with me?"

I didn't answer her question and instead stared down at her, taking in every beautiful feature of her angelic face. Her eyes were as breathtaking as they always were, the vivid amethyst depths appearing deep enough to swim in, and her lightly tanned skin looked silky smooth, like velvet. My eyes stopped on her lips, marvelling at how soft they looked, how perfectly shaped they were. Just so… _kissable._

Without realising what I was doing, I moved one of my hands from the desk and began gently tracing the outline of her mouth with my pale fingers, smiling as she gave a small shiver, her playfulness disappearing in a whirl of confusion as she stared up at me in silence, no doubt wondering why I wasn't attacking her in a whirlwind of savage bruising kisses.

"What're you-" she started to ask, but I silenced her by placing a finger to her delicate rose petal lips.

"Shhh…" I replied softly, moving my finger from her mouth and brushing back her long purple hair. She looked more confused than ever now, and to be honest, I was too. What the fuck was I doing?! What was with all the tender loving touches?! Was I out of my Goddamn mind?! I hate her! I've never hated someone as much as I hate her! Dammit! I hate her!

…Didn't I?

With a sudden urging to chase away my uncharacteristic actions and treacherous thoughts, I grabbed her by the back of her head and dragged her up into a sitting position, abandoning all gentleness and muffling her cry of mixed surprise and pain with my mouth as I kissed her hungrily, wasting no time in biting down on her bottom lip for access.

She opened her mouth for me in an instant, granting me the pleasure of exploring every inch thoroughly with my tongue whilst every part of my body yearned for more, especially my rock hard length that was practically bursting through my clothes in it's desperation. Fuck me, you can tell I haven't been laid in a while. It's been ages since I last hired a prostitute, and all this built up sexual tension was screaming to be released as soon as possible.

My hand found it's way to her waist and wrapped itself around her in a bid to pull her even closer to my body, and she arched her back slightly at my touch, softly moaning into my mouth. Sweet Lord, if she kept on going like this, I'm gonna end up fucking her fully-clothed, I swear.

Whilst distracting her with the kiss, my free hand crept its way towards the zip of her jeans and started fiddling with the button, fighting hard to resist the urge to rip the clothes straight from her body. I don't think she'd be very impressed by that, somehow.

And then, as soon as I'd managed to undo that bastard button and I began struggling with the zip, her foot came into contact with my groin, pressing hard against my painful arousal and making me break away from the kiss with a grunt of mixed frustration, pain and pleasure. Dammit! Just when we were finally getting somewhere! Fucking Fate was having a right laugh here. I bet it wouldn't be the same if it were in the same position as I was in right now! Oh no, would it Hell. No doubt Safiya would already be completely naked and getting fucked into oblivion if it were.

Safiya still hadn't removed her foot from my, um, person, and was grinning up at me, shaking her head and tutting playfully at the same time as gently kneading her toes in _certain places_, making me bite back about the fortieth moan tonight.

"Hold it right there, Kaiba. My game has rules. I just want sex, ok? No questions, no foreplay, just sex. Understand?" she said, lightly carressing her pointed toes slowly up and down my thigh. Hey, wait a minute. Since when did she take her shoes off? Shit, I didn't know whether I was fucking coming or going. Tonight had just taken such a surreal turn I couldn't help wondering if I was dreaming. Yes, that was probably it. No way would Renami Safiya come to my house and ask me for sex. Well, more like _demand_ me for sex, so obviously I'd fallen asleep at my desk and this was the start of a wet dream. Just one problem with this scenario: Why would I be dreaming about doing this with _Safiya?_

Her foot moving again brought me back to my senses.

"Fine, whatever," I muttered in reply, my mind wondering with her foot. No foreplay? Where's the fun in that? But I was ready to say just about anything to make her get the fuck on with it. And anyway, rules are made to be broken.

"And another thing. Don't even _think_ about trying to sneak a look at my scars, Rich Boy. Don't you _dare_. If you do, you won't have to worry about your _'hard on from Hell'_ anymore, because I swear to God, I'll tear the bastard thing off with my bare hands!" She hissed, deadly serious as she shoved her foot rather forcefully at my groin again to emphasise her point. It took an incredible amount of sheer willpower to stop myself making a noise. My nails were digging into the surface of the table at either side of her head and I gritted my teeth, mentally pleading to keep hold of whatever composure I had left. Jesus Christ, Safiya sure knows how to manipulate people's bodies to get what she wants. How the Hell she knows so much about this sort of thing when she's still a virgin is beyond me. No doubt her homosexual friends have shared some of their more intimate stories with her. After all, it's not exactly like those idiots are _secretive_ about their nocturnal habits. I've lost count of how many times I've seen them pinning their lovers up against the lockers and making out with them so enthusiastically that they looked like they were eating each other. And since they were guys, they'd know exactly what turns guys on, hence giving tips to their female friend for future references. Fiery bitch plus good sex tips equals raging nymphomaniac. Heaven help me.

"You got that, Kaiba?" Safiya said, glaring at me warningly, her eyes daring me to test her. Test her? Hell no, I'm rather attached to my manhood, thank you very much. There was no doubt in my mind that she would do what she said she would, and that she'd probably take great pleasure in doing so too.

"Yes, I got that, now will you shut up and let me fuck you already?!" I growled without thinking, lust and frustration taking over my vocal cords in their impatience to relieve the unbearable pressure building up from all the blood in my body rushing down south. Safiya's smirk couldn't have resurfaced any quicker if it tried.

"Someone's getting a little impatient, aren't they?" she grinned impishly, and I glared down at her in response.

"No shit."

"Well, you'll have to wait a little longer, because there's no way on this earth that I'm going to let you fuck me on your desk." She replied, and no sooner had the words left her mouth when I grabbed her again and slung her over my right shoulder, wasting no time in leaving my study and making my way down the corridor to my bedroom without a single word.

"Bloody Hell, I didn't know you were that desperate, Kaiba." She muttered in disbelief, straining to look around as I kicked open my bedroom door, no time to bother with the door handle. Once inside, I let go of her and slammed the door shut behind us, flicking on the lights as I mentally whispered my thanks to God that me and Safiya were the only people in the Kaiba Mansion tonight. If Mokuba had been here, this sort of thing would be completely out of the question. That kid had ears and eyes everywhere, and I didn't really fancy explaining to him what had happened if he asked me about it in the morning, or worse, if he had walked in on us halfway through. _That_ would've been embarrassing, to say the least. But since he wasn't here, me and Safiya could be as loud as we wanted to be. Excellent…

I turned around, ready to pounce on her and drag her to the bed as quickly as possible, but before I could, she somehow managed to push me back against the wall and kissed me deeply, her hands grabbing at the zip of my pants. I was a caught off guard a little by this, since I hadn't expected her to be so forward, and when her tongue decided to come out for a visit, well. This started an all-out tongue war, both of us as stubborn as each other, neither of us willing to be dominated by the other or to be the first to surface for air.

After a ferocious battle, I finally managed to take over and, feeling smug, I set about letting my tongue probe her mouth again, memorising all the delicious dips and curves inside, continuing the war as she fought back with her own tongue, determined not to let me have complete control.

Her hands had successfully unfastened my pants far quicker than I had with hers, and they had now moved from my waistband, slipping underneath my shirt as they continued upwards, touching every inch of my chest, trailing lightly over my nipples, coaxing them to hardness also. Groaning slightly at her teasing touches, I spun her around so she was the one now backed up against the wall and I allowed my hands to wander over her gorgeous body, my fingers ghosting over her feminine curves, feeling her quiver at the contact. God, why hadn't I done this sooner? Oh yeah, because she would've kicked my head in by now.

As my fingers traced gently over the skin just beneath her ribs, she drew in breath sharply and arched her back, moaning into the kiss which we were still locked in. I grinned triumphantly against her lips. Looks like I just found one of Safiya's sensitive spots. Jackpot.

Feeling devious, I ran over that same place a couple more times and she growled at me, breaking the kiss and panting for breath at the same time as trying to cut off the moans my teasing was causing her to make before they left her mouth.

"K-Kaiba, you bastard!" she snarled, jerking her hips cruelly into mine in revenge, and I nearly bit straight through my lip in my desperate effort not to make a sound. She smirked and pulled her hands out from under my shirt, grabbing at the hem of it instead as she dragged it upwards and over my head, throwing it away to the side somewhere. She stared at my bare chest for a moment and ran a single hand up it slowly, stroking my flesh tenderly. I watched her as she explored every inch with her warm fingers in fascination before she suddenly stopped, her palm resting flat over my heart. She looked up and met my gaze with a smile.

"So you do have one, Kaiba. I'm surprised." She murmured, lightly tapping the pads of her fingers in that same place, keeping in time with the beating of my heart. I narrowed my eyes at her and growled again, yanking her back towards me and relieving her of her own shirt, chucking it back over my shoulder to take its place on the carpet behind us, forgotten until morning. Now both shirtless, I took a moment to hungrily watch her full chest heave up and down in it's constricting black bra, almost begging me to release it, but before I could, Safiya's soft lips attached themselves to my neck and her knee raised slightly between my legs, making me groan aloud.

I think her No Foreplay rule had already flown out the window, but she was too caught up in it to realise. Not that I was too bothered. After all, what's sex without it? Pretty damn short and nowhere near as much fun. And since this was Safiya's first time, I was more than happy to draw it out. I was in no rush. Paperwork for board meeting in the morning? Fuck it.

She trailed kisses down my throat and collarbone, every so often nipping, biting and licking at the skin until she got to the junction between my neck and shoulder and focused all her attention there. No doubt there'd be the mother of all hickeys there in the morning, but I didn't care. All I could think about at that moment was how good that gorgeously teasing little mouth of hers would look attached to the end of my cock.

Safiya moved her knee from my groin and lifted it up my side to my waist. I grabbed hold of her thigh, keeping it there as I pushed my rock hard length against her to let her know exactly what she'd done to me. She moaned against my neck, sending vibrations through my throat and she raised her hips, almost as if she was begging me to get on with it. I grinned triumphantly. Perfect.

"Who's impatient now?" I smirked when I felt her lips leave my throat, and she pulled back and glared at me.

"Well, hurry up, then!" she hissed. And so, because I was feeling very, very generous, I decided to comply and led her over to the bed, backing her up until her legs met the edge and her knees buckled, making her fall back onto the quilt with a surprised "Oof!"

I wasted no time in getting rid of my unfastened pants, and Safiya pulled off her own jeans, tossing the unwanted clothing off onto the floor beside the bed and she sat back on the duvet in her underwear, watching me undress. I smirked at her when I reached the waistband of my boxers, but then I stopped before I could pull them down, something about the girl in front of me catching my attention.

She was doing her best to look relaxed, but I could see her hands gripping onto the quilt tightly at either side of her and her shoulders were tense. But the main thing I noticed was the different emotions swirling in her amethyst eyes that she couldn't hide, flickers of fear and guilt, but also a sort of resigned determination. Her eyes said more to me than her voice ever could.

"Safiya? Are you ok?" I asked, my voice unusually soft as I tried to ignore the painful hardness between my legs for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She replied reassuringly, loosening her hold on the bed covers a little. She moved her gaze from mine for a second and then looked back up at me, smirking that infuriatingly arousing smirk that nearly made me cream myself there and then.

"What are you waiting for, Rich Boy? An invitation?" she purred, reaching behind her to unhook her bra before she sent it flying overboard to join the rest of our clothes on the floor. My own smirk returned, all other thoughts forgotten as I stared at her perfect breasts and the rest of her flawless body, feeling the raging sex-crazed beast inside me furiously fighting to break free and pound her so hard into the mattress.

I dragged my boxers down my hips and let them fall into a pile at my feet, finally freeing my throbbing arousal and hissing at the sudden drop in temperature. Safiya's eyes widened as she stared at my hardened prize, standing proudly to attention.

"Where do you think you're sticking _that_ thing?! It's fucking _huge!_" she gasped. I grinned at her and climbed onto the bed, moving towards the soon-to-be deflowered virgin.

I leaned over her, holding myself up on all fours above her, taking in the magnificent sight beneath me, feeling ever so slightly smug that I was the first person to see Safiya like this, lying back on the bed, almost completely naked, the moonlight streaming through the windows bathing her form in pale white light, her cheeks flushed with arousal and anticipation and her long purple locks splayed out all over the pillow. _My_ pillow. On _my_ bed. In _my_ house. With _me_. And she looked so damn fuckable, waiting for me to take her for the first time ever.

"Beautiful." I muttered approvingly as I bent closer and trailed my tongue up her stomach and over her breasts, making my way up her throat, all the while breathing in her exotic erotic sweet vanilla scent. My hands made their way to the last item of clothing on her body and slid them slowly down her slim hips, discarding them instantly. We were now both entirely bare at long last and I smirked, knowing that paradise was mere seconds away.

As if thinking the same thing, Safiya tentatively wrapped her thighs around my waist, biting her lip nervously, for the first time tonight looking like the scared inexperienced virgin she was. My eyes softened slightly and I smiled down at her, trying to reassure her as she locked her anxious gaze with mine.

"Don't worry. It might feel a little uncomfortable to begin with, but it will get better. I promise." I said. She hesitated for a few more moments in doubtful silence before she finally nodded, giving me the green light to go ahead.

She closed her eyes tight and braced herself when I lined myself up ready.

"Relax, I won't hurt you." I soothed, even daring to brush a few stray strands of her long hair back out of her face as I spoke. She opened her eyes and looked up at me uncertainly, but she forced herself to do as she was told and when I deemed her relaxed enough, I slowly pushed inside her, resisting the overwhelming urge to thrust into her as hard as I possibly could. It was bloody hard to resist, I gotta admit. Safiya was just so damn _tight!_

"Nhn… Kaiba…" she groaned, biting into my shoulder as I buried myself fully to the hilt. With her tight wet heat completely around my eager member, I wanted so badly to move already, but I made myself wait until she had adjusted enough to my size.

"Seto." I replied, panting slightly in my desperation, "Call me Seto."

She removed her teeth from my shoulder and took several deep breaths, shifting around a little at the unusual sensation of my intrusion in her body, not realising that her movement was making me even more desperate to get moving.

"Safiya…" I groaned, practically pleading with her.

"Renami. If I have to call you Seto, then you can call me Renami." She said, grinning at me. She locked her legs tighter around me and her hands gripped onto my shoulders, her nails digging in slightly.

"Fuck me, Seto," she whispered lustily, her eyes half-lidded with desire, "Fuck me _hard_."

I didn't need telling twice. I pulled out of her and the thrust myself back in hard, just like she wanted me to. And God, that moan that she let out in response was such sweet music to my ears. Blood was pounding in my head as I pounded into her, ripping more of those delicious moans from her throat as she writhed beneath me, panting and raking her nails down my back, the pain mixing with the pleasure only heightening my need and making me drive harder and faster.

It didn't take long for me to find her G-spot, and when I did she gave the loudest, longest moan yet, arching her back off the bed and clawing her nails into my back so deep that she actually drew blood. I could feel several small rivulets dribble down my back, but the sting of it felt surprisingly so damn good. Since when did I become such a masochist?

"Yes… oh God… Seto, please… do that again…" Renami gasped, her body starting to tremble as she inched closer and closer to climax.

"I love it when you beg." I chuckled, panting as I did as she wished, making sure to hit that spot over and over again, feeling a familiar sensation of heat pooling in my abdomen as her moans increased in volume, a thin sheen of sweat covering both our bodies.

"Ah… Seto… I-I'm so close…" She whimpered. I gritted my teeth and nodded, knowing that my own release was moments away by the way my vision was swiftly turning white in sexual haze. A few more thrusts and she threw her head back against the pillow, screaming her first orgasm to the high heavens, me following not long after as her tight muscles clenched down on me even tighter and tipped me over the edge into pure bliss.

"Fuuuuck…" I groaned loudly as I came long and hard inside her, still pummelling into her haphazardly, riding out the last waves of my release until the white faded from my vision and last flickers of wonderful ecstasy dissipated, much to my disappointment.

With my limbs feeling like lead weights, I rolled over and collapsed beside her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as we both panted for breath, our chests rising and falling in time with each other's. After a few moments, I moved onto my side and smiled at her, watching her as she began to come back to her senses after such a powerful climax.

"So," I smirked, brushing a lock of her sweat-slicked hair back out of her eyes, "How was it?"

Her bright amethyst orbs locked with my sapphire ones and she smiled at me.

"Not bad, I suppose." She grinned, reaching up and pressing her soft lips against mine in a gentle kiss before she turned over to go to sleep. I was a little disappointed by this, since I was all fired up to go for round two, but then I reached out and wrapped an arm around Renami's waist, pulling her close so her back was flat against my chest and I pulled the bed covers over our naked bodies. After all, there was always next time. No doubt she'd find herself in my bed again at some point in the near future.

She snuggled up to me, resting her head against my chest.

"I hate you, Seto." She whispered softly, and I chuckled softly at the light-hearted tone of her voice. I placed a gentle kiss of my own against her bare shoulder blade.

"I hate you too, Renami." I replied with a smile, and we fell asleep in each other's arms.

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**Chiyo: Y'know, I've been thinking… **

**Cara: Always a bad sign…**

**Chiyo: … since Renami and Seto hate each other, and they've just done the dirty, wouldn't they've been making hate instead of making love?**

**Cara: Y'know, that's a fair point. Oh, and by the way, well done to all my reviewers who guessed what Renami was gonna do! Please review for me, thank you! **


	18. Forgive Me

**Cara: OMG, do you know how long it's been since we updated this?**

**Chiyo: Freaking ages.**

**Cara: I know! That's so bad! We've been neglecting you all! I have been SO busy lately, with school and coursework and GSCE revision and mountains of homework and crap like that. But anyways, now we're back with chapter 18 which turned out to be like two thousand words longer than I'd expected it to be ;**

**Chiyo: Yeah, cause super long chapters are so unlike us. Ok. Warnings for this chappie, eh? There is a teeny bit more smutty stuff in here, but not as bad as last chapter. Read and review for us, please. Ta.**

* * *

Chapter 18:

Renami's POV:

It was pretty early when I began to stir from my slumber, but since I was still practically half-comatose, I decided that I could spare another few minutes of blissful sleep and rolled over into a more comfortable position, tugging the silk bed sheets tighter around me as I started drifting back into the land of peaceful dreams.

But, of course, my new bedmate had other ideas, because the moment I rolled away from him, he gave a sleepy grunt from beside me and pulled me back, his arm wrapping tightly around my waist, effectively anchoring me to his chest.

"Gerroff…" I mumbled in annoyance, pulling at his arm at the same time as trying desperately to stay asleep, but it just wasn't happening. If anything he just clutched me closer still, smiling contentedly as he slept on, completely oblivious to my drowsy struggling, so I gave up with an exasperated groan and lay limp in his hold, feeling the steady beating of his heart vibrating through my back.

It's funny how the world works, isn't it? I mean, here I was lying in the arms of my most hated adversary, the King of Ice himself: Seto Kaiba, after we just had hot passionate sex the night before where I got _ever so slightly_ carried away and just about jumped him, no doubt acting like more of a whore than the prostitutes he's so familiar with. Oops, my bad. Can I help it if Seto was just so damn good? He had me moaning like a bitch in heat every time he touched me with those skilled fingers of his. But seriously, this was really fucked up. Me and Kaiba falling into bed together. Who'd have thought? Not me or him, that's for sure.

Now fully awake, I wriggled around in Seto's death-grip and finally, with great difficulty, I ended up facing him, our still naked chests pressed closer together as I studied his face inquisitively. Christ, it's unbelievable how different he looked in his sleep. He seemed so peaceful and carefree, with the faintest of smiles gracing his lips instead of the usual cold smirk I was so used to. His pale alabaster skin appeared even paler in the soft glow of dawn shining through the windows of the bedroom, bathing the room with light. Working one hand free of the bed covers, I reached up and brushed a lock of his chestnut hair out of his face and stroked his cheek, trailing my hand delicately over his soft skin, smiling slightly at the feel of it beneath my fingers before I reached up on impulse and brushed my lips against his, loving his sweet cinnamon taste. A girl could _definitely_ get used to this…

Struck by that sudden thought, I whipped my hand back quickly as though burned and pulled away hastily, distancing myself as far as his possessive hold would allow. No, no, no, no, _no_ Renami! You're getting in way too deep here, girl! Not only was this Seto Kaiba I was talking about, but the fact that it was only a matter of hours before I was going to be dragged kicking and screaming back into Alex's eagerly awaiting claws made any thoughts like that just downright impossible, even if I wanted them to happen. Which I _didn't_, by the way. Me and Seto could never go down that road. I mean, come on! We can't even stay in a room together longer than two minutes without tearing out each other's throats. We completely loathed each other with such a passion that not even sex could form any sort of friendly bond between us. I hate him, always have, always will, and I know the feeling's mutual, because he hates me just as much as I hate him. I could never fall in love with him, no matter how good the sex was. And believe me, the sex was _beyond_ good, if last night was anything to go by.

I blushed as I unintentionally remembered the events of yesterday evening and I hurriedly tore my gaze from Seto. The more I stared down at him laying beside me, the more ashamed I felt. Right now the only person I despised was myself, and the guilt of what I'd done was making my skin crawl. I hated the fact that I'd actually been selfish enough to drag Seto into this and use him, and the longer I spent looking at him, the higher the wave of guilt inside me grew. And right now, I just felt so shitty it was unbelievable. Guilt is one Hell of a bitch, but then again, so am I.

Carefully prying myself out of Seto's grasp, I swung my legs out of the side of the bed and yawned, running my hands through my mass of tangled purple locks with a grimace. God, not only did I feel like shit, but I looked like shit too. Great. This was just getting better and better, wasn't it? Next thing you know, Rehema will probably walk in or something and catch me and Seto in the nude, in the same bed. That would be just so typical of my amazingly good fortune lately.

I glanced back over my shoulder at Seto as I dragged myself to my feet, just to make sure he was still asleep, and since he was, I decided he wouldn't object if I went and took a quick shower in his ensuite before I left. He could go screw himself if he did object to it, because there was no way on this earth that I would leave this house smelling of him and sex. That shower was so mine, and Heaven help anyone if they got in my way!

I crept around the bed cautiously, trying not to make too much noise lest I should wake the teenage CEO as I made my way to the bathroom, pausing only to stoop down and pick up my scattered clothing when I walked past it. I grabbed hold of my jeans which were laid not far from the bed and then spotted my shirt near the door with Kaiba's. As I bent down to seize hold of that and add it to the pile of clothes already in my arms, I hesitated when I noticed something gold glinting in the morning light from the folds of Kaiba's discarded shirt, and so, being the curious girl that I am, I just had to take a closer look.

When I gently pulled it free from the shirt and straightened back up with it in my hand, I realised that it looked like some kind of game card on a piece of black thread, red with a gold outline, but when I examined it a little more closely, I noticed that there was a tiny gold clasp on the edge and I gently prised it open with my fingernail and the card itself opened up, revealing inside a picture of a much younger Mokuba Kaiba.

My eyes widened in surprise. The photo was black and white, and Mokuba could've been little more than a toddler. The younger Kaiba was sat in front of a chessboard, reaching towards one of the white pieces on his side as he smiled broadly at the camera, his eyes bright with such immense happiness that it made my heart swell just by looking at him. It was such a beautiful picture, and it obviously held so much sentimental value for the elder Kaiba to permanently wear it around his neck. I looked back at the sleeping teenager behind me with new eyes, remembering what I'd said to him last night when I put my hand over his heart.

"_So you do have one, Kaiba. I'm surprised."_

I'd only been teasing him then, but now I was actually starting to wonder if I was right. Was it actually possible for Seto Kaiba to care for anyone other than himself? I knew he loved his brother, and Mokie was the only family he had left, but when I thought back over these last few weeks, Seto has certainly been acting warmer than usual. I mean, he helped me and Joey out in that alley and took us both to hospital. He had stayed there until I woke up and then carried me to Joey when I couldn't walk. He carried me into my house too, when I collapsed outside my front door. He's done a lot of things for me lately, and although I paid him back by repairing his relationship with little Mokuba, I still felt indebted to him. Kaiba certainly has more heart than he lets on, and this picture proved it. Maybe he's not such an icy prick bastard as I've always thought him to be. Maybe he was just… _afraid_ of his own feelings, and so he chose to hide them instead of facing them. Maybe this mysterious Gozuburo person had had something to do with that too, but I didn't dare ask Seto about him again. I think I've already learnt from _that_ mistake, thank you very much.

Returning my gaze to the photo, I sighed as I traced around the outline with my finger. I wanted to hold onto it and stare at it for as long as possible, but then I closed the card and refastened the gold clasp, placing it gently down on Seto's desk so he would be able to find it when he woke up. As much as I hated Kaiba and would do just about anything to piss him off, I wasn't heartless enough to leave something as precious as that photo lying around on the floor. Maybe I'm just going soft in my old age.

I turned away from the desk and bent down once more to retrieve my shirt before I continued on my way to the ensuite. Once inside, I shut the door carefully behind me, trying to make as little noise as possible as I dumped my clothes on the floor and reached into the shower to fiddle with the settings. I didn't want Seto waking up whilst I was still here in his house. I wanted to be long gone before then, because the very last thing I needed right now was one of mine and Seto Kaiba's infamous heated confrontations. I don't think my stress levels could take it, not to mention my mentality.

The shower burst into life and I winced at the sudden roar of water, praying that the teenage CEO was still far away in Dreamland, but I didn't open the door to check on him. The longer I left the shower running, the more likely it would wake him, so I stepped into the walk-in shower and shut the glass door behind me as I moved myself under the beautifully warm spray, letting the water pound down on me, washing away God knows how much crap on my body from mine and Seto's, um, _antics_ last night.

I ran my hands through my long drenched lavender locks, my nails digging into my skin as I massaged my scalp with my fingers, my ears straining fiercely over the shower as I listened for any sounds from the bedroom, but I didn't hear any. Seizing a sponge, I lathered it with soap and started rubbing it over my body, trying desperately hard not to imagine it as Seto's hands instead.

Jesus fucking Christ! I've only slept with him once and I'm already fucking hooked on sex! Even last night when I turned over to go to sleep, I had practically fought with myself to keep my newfound libido on a leash to stop me grabbing Seto and fucking him raw over and over again all way through the night. No joke! Just one little taste of him, and I was already a fucking nymphomaniac. Dear God, Seto Kaiba. What have you done to me?

When the warm jet from the shower hose had completely washed away the soap from my skin, I turned off the shower and stepped out onto the cold bathroom tiles, a small puddle forming at my feet from the water dripping slowly down my body as I reached up to a shelf, grabbed a towel and started drying myself off with it. Once dry, I wrapped the fluffy white towel around me and tossed my hair back over my shoulder, the wet locks making a loud slapping sound against the skin of my back that wasn't covered by the towel. It always took ages for my hair to dry, but I wasn't bothered. It always dried straight anyway, so I didn't need straighteners or anything like that. I guess I'm lucky in that aspect, since I didn't have to mess about with my hair for about half an hour before school every morning, like some of the girls I knew in my form. They always made sure their hair was either perfectly curled, ferociously straightened or piled up on their heads in whatever style they felt like that day. I've never made that much fuss over my hair like they do. But then again, I'm nowhere near as vain as some girls, not mentioning any names, (cough, Tea, cough). Sure, I care about what I look like, but I don't spend endless hours in front of a mirror every morning without fail. I mean, what's the point in that? It's not like there's anyone out there to impress, anyway. All the guys at my school looked like they'd fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Well, not all. My guys were drop dead gorgeous, but they were gay (much to Domino's female population's despair). In fact, the only other decent looking guy I can think of who's not gay has got to be Seto Kai–

Two arms suddenly encircled my waist and I just about jumped a mile up into the air, abruptly torn out of my thoughts with a loud "Eep!" of shock. A deep chuckle came from dangerously close to my right ear and I felt my assailant's chin rest itself on my shoulder.

"Fuck, what're you tying to do? Kill me?" I gasped, clutching a hand to my chest to calm my furiously beating heart. Seto chuckled again as he swept my damp locks over my opposite shoulder and placed a kiss on my shoulder blade, just like he had done last night. I stiffened under his touch, but then his lips vanished from my skin almost as soon as they'd arrived and he released his hold of me, stepping back as I spun around to look at him. He was wearing only his boxers and his chestnut tresses were all over the place, completely out of control like a bird's nest on top of his head, but the very first thing I noticed was a rather large purple mark on the junction between his neck and his collar bone. A lovebite. Caused by me. Shit.

"Did I scare you?" Seto asked, smirking down at me, his eyes raking the parts of my body that wasn't covered by the way too damn short towel I was wrapped in. I rolled my eyes and tugged at the hem of my towel to cover a little more of my legs.

"No, you didn't." I lied, wondering how on earth he'd managed to creep up on me without making a single sound. Sneaky son of a bitch!

He grinned at me and slid a cool hand up my arm to the base of my neck, where he rested it there, his pale fingers ever so slightly stroking the side of my throat.

"Really? Then I guess I'll have to try a little harder next time." He said, barely concealing the lustful purr in his voice. I looked up at him.

"Who says there's going to be a next time?" I shot back, the question sounding a little more playful than I would've liked. Dammit! Instead of trying to tell him to back the fuck off, I was practically reeling him in! Damn me! Damn me to fucking Hell!

Seto smirked and ran his free hand through his messy locks, making the state of them a whole lot worse. I don't think he realised that though, because he seemed to be too preoccupied with staring down at me like a lion about to pounce on it's prey. It was weird seeing him look at me like that, I must admit, since I was so used to being glared at by him, but now… Now he just looked pure fucking feral. And it was kinda unnerving me at the same time as totally turning me on. Pain in the ass hormones. Goodbye Renami Safiya, hello raging nympho. Heaven help me.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked quickly. He raised an eyebrow at my _so not obvious_ swift change of subject, but said nothing of it.

"About five or ten minutes. You woke me up when you turned the shower on." He replied, and I silently cursed my own stupidity. Of course he had heard the shower, you daft cow. Well done. Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. Now instead of merrily skipping away from here, leaving a certain CEO still fast asleep in his bed, I was inches away from getting raped up against his bathroom wall. Not that it would be rape. I think I'd enjoy it too much for it to be rape. And I wouldn't exactly fight him off, either.

"Any idea what time it is?" I asked him.

"Not a clue."

"Wow, _that_ was helpful." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Seto smirked and folded his arms across his lean yet surprisingly muscular pale chest.

"I aim to please." He grinned. _Huh, no kidding. I think I already figured that one out last night._

"Yeah, and I shoot to kill, now move your ass so I can get going." I responded as I turned away from him for a moment and bent down to pick my clothes up from the bathroom tiles. When I straightened up, I turned back around and started to walk out of the bathroom, but I collided with a familiar sturdy chest instead which caused me to stumble and drop my clothes back down onto the tiles at our feet. I would've no doubt fallen over backwards and landed on my ass if he hadn't caught hold of my elbow at the last moment to steady me.

"What's the rush?" Seto asked when I glared up at him, all previous playfulness in his voice replaced by his usual coldness. He sounded royally pissed that I would even think about leaving. Don't ask me why. Maybe he wanted me to stay just so we could have sex again, but that wasn't going to happen. I already felt guilty enough as it was.

"No rush, I just thought you'd want me gone before Mokuba and Rehema and everyone else arrived. It might be a bit awkward to explain, don't you think? Especially if little Mokie suddenly came running in to find _you _and_ me_ in _here_, like _this_. You see what I'm trying to get at here?"

Kaiba's smirk returned faster than I thought humanly possible.

"You and me like _what_, exactly?" He grinned, his eyes glinting mischievously. Unsurprisingly, I was struck with the familiar urge to punch his lights out.

"God, Seto, anyone would think you haven't been laid in months. Are you always this horny, or am I just lucky?" I responded silkily, going for sassiness over violence. Hey, it worked last night, so why wouldn't it work now? Women were given their feminine charms for a reason, right? And my reason seemed to be for seducing Seto Kaiba. Oh joy.

"I haven't been laid in months, actually." Seto said, scratching at his unruly brunet locks, not once taking his sapphire eyes off me. I blinked, surprised.

"Huh? What about all the prostitutes you've hired?"

"What about them?"

"Well, don't you use them any more?"

"No."

"Why?"

He shrugged offhandedly, and then he grinned.

"I have my reasons." He smirked, mimicking how I answered his questions from last night. I knew he wasn't going to say anything else about it. Not that I cared. I was just curious, that's all.

"And anyway," Kaiba continued, moving closer towards me, "Why would I need prostitutes when I've got you, Safiya?"

_Oh no, Kaiba, don't go there. Don't even think about going there. _

"You _haven't_ got me, Kaiba. Last night was a one-time thing, and it won't happen again. Ever. I'm not your own personal fuck toy, so don't go getting any ideas that I am, Rich Boy." I growled at him warningly, my body language practically screaming at him to back the fuck off whilst he still had a head on his shoulders. Seto ignored this and got closer still.

All I wanted to do was turn and run so far away, but two things stopped me. One: the only way out of the bathroom was through the door Kaiba was actually stood in front of, effectively cutting off all escape routes, and two: my stubborn bastard pride just wouldn't let me back down. _Come on, Seto. Just you try it. You don't scare me._

"I never said you were my own personal fuck toy, but now you mention it, that's actually not such a bad idea…" He smirked, now literally about a couple of feet away from me and getting nearer and nearer by the second.

_Ok. Now I'm scared. Now you're scaring me, Kaiba. _

And now it's time for me to retreat, I think. Fuck pride. There are more important things than pride, after all. I started backing away, trying to make it as subtle as I could, knowing that sooner or later I'd end up trapped between Seto's body and the bathroom wall behind me. Great.

"Well, tough, because it ain't gonna happen." I retorted, quickly stealing a glance over my shoulder to see how far away from the wall I was. Ah. Not as far as I would've liked. Damn. But then again, I'd rather face him head-on than cower in a corner, so I stopped retreating and stood my ground, staring up at him defiantly with my fists clenched at my sides. A good idea? Who knows. A bad idea? Most likely. I think I'm just about to find out the hard way.

He drew level and looked down at me, still smirking that infuriating smirk I hated so much. His gaze was so predatory that I honestly felt like he was seconds away from jumping on me and ravishing me like a hungry animal. A scary thought, but somehow at the same time frustratingly arousing.

"That's too bad, Safiya, because I think it would've been a very _interesting_ proposition." Seto said, reaching out with one hand and brushing a lock of my damp hair back from my face. Bloody Hell, Seto Kaiba can actually flirt! Surprised? I know I am. I hate to admit it, but I loved the way he was trying to charm his way back into my pants (even though I wasn't actually wearing pants underneath my towel, but you get the picture). He might've stopped hiring his prostitutes, but it wasn't because he'd had enough of sex. I was starting to think that maybe he'd cut his whores loose just so he could focus on bigger, more challenging targets. And who would've been the most challenging of all? The one person who hated him the most. The girl more than willing to strike back, be it with cutting remarks or her fists. The girl who'd much sooner stab her eyes out with pins than fall into bed with him. Me.

But it hadn't really been much of a challenge. After all, I was the one who came over to his mansion after dark and jumped him, not the other way round. I'd played right into his hands. He'd already got what he wanted from me, but with the way he's coming onto me now, I don't think he's finished with me yet. So he wants to play, does he? Right then, I'll give him a game to remember…

"As tempting as that offer sounds, Seto, I'm afraid I have to decline." I purred, flashing him a smirk of my own. He raised his eyebrows again at me, surprised by my swift attitude change, but I just tilted my head to one side and moved closer to him, ignoring the warning bells going off at the back of my mind.

"And why's that?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I have a previous engagement." I replied, my smirk wide enough to rival his from a few moments ago. I wondered how long it would be until he realised what I was doing, but when his smirk slowly spread back across his face, I knew he'd already figured me out. Dammit, Kaiba. Why do you always have to ruin my fun?

"You mean there's someone else?" He grinned, playing along.

"Yes. My boyfriend."

"Ah. And how do you think your boyfriend would feel if he caught you in here with me?"

I smiled impishly and took the final step towards him so we were now chest-to-chest. I ran my hands up his sinewy arms and draped them loosely around his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist again, his hands coming to rest on my ass.

"He'd say you were a very lucky guy." I responded, threading my fingers deep into his crop of messy brown hair, inwardly grinning as I felt his hands tighten on my ass, copping a good feel. And I let him. Why not? This was part of our game, wasn't it? Any other time I would've kicked his ass straight into next week, but not today. Today I was determined to make my last few hours of near-sanity count. With such a short amount of time left, I hadn't really got much to lose.

"He wouldn't be jealous?" he asked with a grin. I giggled lightly, gently tugging on the locks of his hair in my grip.

"Obviously he'd be jealous, but it wouldn't matter. He knows I love him more than anyone else in the whole world."

Seto narrowed his eyes at me playfully.

"Even more than me?"

"_Way _more than you."

"I'm hurt, Renami. I thought we had something special." He said, pretending to look upset. He looked so unbelievably adorable and un-Kaibalike that I just couldn't stop myself laughing out loud, but then I forced my smile back and let my expression turn serious, trying hard to keep a straight face. This was all so freaking hilarious and surreal. Me and Kaiba half-naked in his bathroom, discussing my nonexistent boyfriend whilst feeling each other up. Oh, if only I could record this and show it to my guys, they'd laugh their asses off! But that would never happen. The day I reveal to them that I've slept with Seto Kaiba is the day where I give away everything I own and become Tea Gardner's loveslave for the rest of my life. (Eeew… talk about mentally scarring.)

Grinning at the thought of the looks on my friends' faces if they could see me now, I spun around in Seto's arms so my back was flush against his chest again. One of his arms encircled my waist whilst he trailed his other hand up my body to gently grasp my chin and tilt my head to one side for better access to my throat. I felt his lips meet my skin once more, littering my neck, shoulder and collarbone with soft butterfly kisses.

Part of me wanted to tear myself away from him and beat the living shit out of him, but then the other part wanted to just surrender to him and let him have his way with me. Oh so tempting… But I didn't want to take this as far as I did yesterday, yet on the other hand, I wanted him to go on so badly it felt like my body was practically begging for his touch. I wanted him to fuck me again, just like last night. And judging by the rock hard lump I could feel pressed against the small of my back, he wanted to fuck me too.

"I'm sorry, Seto. He's already got the best part of me." I said, gasping slightly as we continued our banter battle, every inch of my skin he kissed feeling like it was on fire. In a good way.

"Your body?" Seto asked between kisses.

"No, my heart. _You've_ got my body."

"That's the best part, in my opinion."

"I knew you'd say that."

"Am I really that predictable?"

I smirked and rolled my hips backwards, grinding my ass hard against his crotch, making him groan aloud as his mouth left my neck.

"Yes, you really are."

He growled low in his throat and grabbed me by the shoulders, turning me back to face him and crushing our lips together before I even had chance to draw in breath. God, I loved Seto's kisses. They were so unpredictable, just like him. Usually they were hard and rough, almost painful, but then sometimes they could be soft and tender. I loved his cinnamon taste, his soft lips, his plundering tongue exploring my mouth, ferociously battling against my own tongue for control. I loved how silky his hair felt when I ran my fingers through it, the smoothness of his creamy white skin contrasting beautifully with the dark purple hickey on his neck, the hardness of his gorgeous body pressed against my own. It's so strange how I love so many things about the person I hate the most.

When we broke the kiss at long last to breathe, I grinned up at the CEO and tilted my head to one side questioningly.

"Don't you have somewhere to be today?" I asked. Seto hesitated a moment before slipping his hand past my cheek and around the back of my neck, ready to pull me back towards him for another bruising kiss.

"No." He said. My grin widened and I trailed my hand ever so slowly down his firm chest, gently scraping my nails across his skin until I got to the waistband of his boxer shorts.

"Liar." I murmured, lightly touching the tip of his clothed erection with one finger, making his breath hitch a little in his throat, "Don't lie to me, Seto."

"I've got a meeting with the KaibaCorp's board of directors." He half-gasped as I touched him again in the same place.

"When?"

"Ten thirty."

"Well, you don't want to be late then, do you?"

"I'll tell them I was in the company of a beautiful young woman, and I got distracted."

I laughed at that, shaking my head at him as I leaned forwards and nuzzled against his collarbone, pressing my lips to the hickey on his neck.

"I don't think they'd like that." I spoke into his throat.

"I don't care. None of my employees are indispensable, and that goes same for them. They can easily be replaced." He replied, his hands back on my ass again. I chuckled and moved my head back slightly so I could look up into those bright cerulean orbs of his.

"I'm glad I don't work for you, Kaiba. And anyway, you can't go anywhere yet. Not with a problem like that." I grinned, glancing pointedly down below his waist. He looked down also and then brought his gaze back up to meet my eyes again, his smirk as wide as mine.

"You're right, Safiya. I can't be seen like this. What are we going to do about this problem?" Seto smirked. I smirked right back at him.

"We're going to get rid of it, of course." I said, and then I grabbed hold of him and flung him back into the walk-in shower, following him in and shutting the glass door behind me before pinning the taller teen against the tiled wall with my body. Don't ask me where this sudden burst of strength came from, because I have no idea. Only one thing was clear to me now, and that was that the leash on my libido was so incredibly close to snapping. Oh, Kaiba, you're in trouble now.

I kissed him hard and dug my fingernails into his shoulders. He groaned into my mouth at this and then groaned again when I rolled my hips forwards against his, his hard length squashed between our bodies. Seto tried to switch our positions so I would be the one up against the wall again, but this time I wouldn't let him. I think it was time the King of Control got taken down a notch. Let's see how he'd handle being dominated by someone else for once in his life…

"Oh no, Kaiba. I don't think so." I grinned evilly, my hand on his chest, forcing him back, "I'm in control this time. You were last night, and now it's my turn. Now you'll be the one begging and pleading with me, not the other way round."

Seto smirked at me, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

"I doubt it." He said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Is that a challenge?" I demanded. He didn't answer. He didn't have to. The expression on his face said everything: _I'm Seto Kaiba. I'm always in control. You can't control me. No-one can._ Yeah, well. Perhaps he doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does. Big mistake.

I started from the top, and descended slowly southwards. I kissed his lips softly, then I moved my lips along his neck, past his collarbone and down his chest, taking as much time as I could. I knew this would infuriate him. It wasn't what I was doing that really mattered, but at the pace at which I did it. He'd be begging me to get the fuck on with it before I even reached his boxers. Exactly what I wanted.

I could feel the vibration through his chest as he chuckled, no doubt laughing at my attempts to dominate him. He still didn't think I could do it. I smirked against his chest. _Oh, how wrong you are, Seto Kaiba._

His mocking laughter suddenly disappeared to be replaced with a moan of mixed surprise and pleasure as I ran my tongue over his right nipple, feeling it harden beneath my lips. I smiled, satisfied with the result as I licked the hardened nub slowly and smoothly, drawing more moans and groans from the teenage CEO's mouth before he could stop himself. He already knew my sensitive spots, and now this was my chance to learn his.

I paused in my work and looked up at him, not moving my head from his chest or my mouth from his skin.

"It sounds like you're enjoying this, Seto. I haven't even got to the best part yet. Are you sure you want me to continue, or shall I stop now?" I grinned against his flesh, silently chuckling to myself, "Spare you the embarrassment?"

He glared down at me.

"I never back down, Safiya." He hissed. Hmm… Now why did that sound familiar? Oh yeah, he'd said something along those lines on that day in PE where me and him went against each other in a game of one-on-one. Sure, he'd won then, but not now. This was revenge in a weird sort of way, I suppose. You kick my ass at basketball, and I lick your nipples until you beg for mercy. Totally fucked up. But hey, nobody ever said the world was perfect. People get revenge in different ways. Some people badmouth you to your face or behind your back, some start fights, and some even kill. And what do I do? I lick people to death. I feel like a fucking dog. I'm just so very glad I don't have many enemies I want revenge on.

"Hey, it doesn't matter to me. You want me to keep going, I'll keep going." I shrugged in response, loving every minute.

"I. Never. Back. Down." Kaiba growled back, now royally pissed. I giggled and shrugged again.

"It's your funeral." I said, and attacked his nipples again with my tongue, lips and teeth, licking, kissing and biting at them both in turn. Kaiba was fighting so hard to bite back his moans, his hands clenched in fists by his sides, and his eyes shut tight.

"Just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not there." I sang, teasing him. He muttered something that sounded like a swearword in reply, and that was when I decided it was time to take this show on the road.

Abandoning his chest, I ran my tongue slowly down his stomach, pushing it in his bellybutton once or twice and then began moving on for bigger and better things. Bigger and better things that were still covered by boxer shorts and were practically straining through the constricting material in it's desperation.

I sunk to my knees in front of him, my head now level with the large bulge in his pants. I ran my hands leisurely up the inside of his thighs, before replacing my hands once again with my tongue, the delicious guttural noises coming from above making me more aroused than I ever thought possible. He was still trying to fight it. His head was telling him no, but his body was just completely ignoring him. My tongue felt good to him, and his body liked it. No way was it going to let him stop enjoying it now.

Hooking my thumbs over the waistband of his pants, I dragged the material down his hips, letting them drop to his feet and freeing his pulsing length, the end of which was inches away from my face, already dripping pre-cum down his hard shaft. I smirked to myself, feeling thoroughly wicked. This was going to be so much fun…

"I've never done this before, so you'll have to bear with me." I said without looking up, speaking more to his erection than to him.

"I've never had this done to me before." Seto panted through gritted teeth as I gently grasped hold of him, wrapping on hand around the base and leaning closer. I glanced up briefly.

"Really? Well then, this will be a new experience for both of us, won't it?" I giggled softly, spreading pre-cum over the head of his member with my thumb, making him give a small breathy moan in response. And then, slowly, ever so slowly, I took him in my mouth and he groaned at the new feeling of warm wetness surrounding his cock.

I started bobbing my head up and down on him, softly sucking in a way that I knew would make him impatient and needy. Hey, I might not be experienced in this area of expertise, but that doesn't mean I don't know what to do. You have no idea how many times I've had to sit around with my guys and listen to every single agonising detail of their wild nights of fucking like horny rabbits. Marik and Malik were the worst for that. Occasionally Bakura would spill some secrets, much to Ryou's livid embarrassment, but most of the time it was the two blond Egyptians that enjoyed spilling the beans on their sex lives. And believe me, some of the positions those two got themselves into seemed to defy the laws of physics altogether. Who knew Malik could be so flexible?

"Safiya…" Seto groaned, bringing me back to the job in hand, (or more accurately, the job in _mouth_). His hands were gripping onto the tiles behind him, no longer clenched by his sides and his eyes were shut tighter than ever. I removed my mouth from his aching erection and peered up at him innocently.

"Yeah, Seto? Is something wrong?" I asked, running my tongue along his length, giving him no time to answer my question as I licked the pre-cum from the tip, pressing into the slit as though I was trying to force my tongue inside. I was rewarded with a deep moan from the CEO, who released his hold on the wall to entangle his hands in my hair instead.

I did everything I could think of doing to his member in my mouth: gently scraping my teeth along it, tracing the veins on the underside with my tongue and fingers, nipping lightly at the tip with my teeth, humming a soft tune, the vibrations sending him crazy with desire. His hands grasped my hair tighter than ever as his moans got louder. He started trying to buck his hips forward, but I grabbed him and held him back. His legs began trembling slightly as he got nearer and nearer to his climax. He was so close… so, so close…

Suddenly I stopped. I moved back a little, making him give a weird pathetic whine as my mouth left his cock, just when he was almost on the very edge of orgasm. Oh, aren't I cruel?

"Safiya!" He growled as he panted for breath, a thin sheen of sweat coating his toned body and his cheeks flushed with arousal. What a sight. And I'm the only one to witness it. Kaiba Fan Girls, eat your hearts out. "Why did you stop?"

"Beg." I said simply, surveying him steadily. He blinked, his eyebrows furrowing together into an all-to-familiar frown as he stared down at me incredulously.

"What?!"

"Beg." I repeated, the smallest of smirks playing at my lips, "Beg if you want me to go on. You know you could just reach down here and take care of it yourself, but I'm sure my mouth feels a Hell of a lot better than your hand, don't you? C'mon, Kaiba. Beg. You just have to say one little word."

"Seto Kaiba doesn't beg." He hissed. I rolled my eyes and brought my lips back towards his arousal, planting a brief kiss on the tip, making his breath hitch once more.

"You know you want to." I whispered, my fingers stroking the flesh of the inside of his thighs as I waited. Would he really do what I told him to? Did his cock speak louder than his brain? I certainly hoped so. Hey, I'm being honest, aren't I?

A few minutes of silence passed, both of us stood as still as statues except for my hands still caressing his inner thighs, busy showing him what they could be caressing elsewhere. Finally, he sighed aloud, defeated.

"Please…" He mumbled in shame, "Please… continue…"

I grinned triumphantly and lurched forwards, swallowing him whole as I began deep-throating him, the tip of his cock brushing the back of my throat as I sensually bobbed my mouth up and down on his throbbing erection, finishing at long last the job I'd started.

I didn't take long for him to cum, and when he did he cried out loudly in pleasure, arching his back and throwing his head back, almost knocking himself out as he smacked his head hard against the wall behind him. He swore in pain when his thick skull connected solidly with the shower tiles and I would've rolled my eyes at him again, but I was too preoccupied with swallowing down every last drop of his essence that entered my mouth. It was a thick liquid that tasted unusual and a little bit salty, but it wasn't really as unpleasant as I'd expected it to be.

Getting to my feet, I licked my lips to chase away any of his seed I might've missed and leaned in to Seto, kissing him deeply, letting him taste himself in my mouth. When we broke apart, I smiled at him and surprised us both by suddenly hugged him close, burying my head into his firm chest and wrapping my arms tight around him.

"Thank you." I whispered, "For everything. I'm sorry I kinda forced you into it, and I'm not going to tell you why I did what I did, but you have no idea how grateful I am. Truly. I owe you one, Seto."

I felt him hug me back, his head resting on top of mine. He was still breathing heavily after his powerful orgasm, and his chest rose and fell rapidly against me.

"You're welcome." He said softly, stroking my hair as though I was a little girl. Then he stopped and his voice turned deadly low, "I will get you back for this, Safiya. Just you wait. The next time we find ourselves alone together, I'll get my revenge."

I let go of him and pulled away, laughing.

"I'll look forward to it." I replied sassily, winking at him. We grinned at each other, a brief moment of warmth passing between us. Obviously it was short-lived and vanished almost instantly, but hey, it'd still been there.

I opened the glass door of the shower and stepped out, followed by Seto (when he'd actually pulled his underwear back up from around his feet). He leaned against the bathroom wall with his arms folded over his bare chest, his cobalt blue orbs surveying me steadily as I yanked on my own underwear and jeans, keeping my towel wrapped securely around my top half to hide both cleavage and scars from his prying eyes. I fastened my bra over the towel and then let the towel drop, making sure to keep my back away from him until I was sufficiently covered beneath my shirt.

"Why won't you let me see your scars?" Seto asked, breaking the silence. I looked up at him as I folded up the towel in my arms.

"Because."

"Because why?" He pressed like the irritatingly obnoxious nosy bastard he was. I walked over to him and thrust the towel into his arms.

"Because I don't want your pity. If I showed you them, I'd have to tell you how I got them and who caused them, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to drag you into this more than I have done already." I replied, looking away from him. He started to reply, but I cut him off.

"Look, Seto, just forget about my scars, ok? Forget about me entirely. Just pretend I was another prostitute you had a good time with. If you ever think of me, I want you to think of me as just a whore you picked up. A nameless whore. That's what I want me to be to you, Kaiba."

"What are you talking about, Renami? You're not-" He started, stepping towards me, but I moved back, holding out my hands for him to keep back.

"No!" I shouted without meaning to, interrupting him once more. He raised his eyebrows at me, but not mockingly. I lowered my voice a little. "No. Just… no. I need to go now, Seto. I'm sorry. I really need to go…"

I stared down at the tiles at my feet, almost dreading Seto's answer.

"Ok." He said quietly. And that was the last thing he said to me as I left him standing alone in the middle of his bathroom, watching my departing back with almost sad eyes. He could tell something was wrong. Even without me revealing all that much to him, he could sense that he'd never see me again. I could sense it too. And it was more painful than I ever expected it to be.

"I'm sorry, Seto. Forgive me."

Cara: Stay tuned folks, cause next chapter is where the story starts taking a more sinister turn…

**Chiyo: As if it weren't sinister enough already.**

**Cara: It isn't! Well, not until next chapter and the chapters after that. Please leave me a review people, I need to know if you're all still interested in this after the too damn long break between this chapter and the last! Review please! Luv ya all! 3**


	19. Time's Up

**Cara: Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod!! Nearly 100 reviews!! YAY!!**

**Chiyo: Exclamation marks, much.**

**Cara: Shut up you infuriating yami. You're lucky I don't banish you to the shadow realm!**

**Chiyo: -glares- You wouldn't dare!**

**Cara: -grins evilly- Try me. Anyways people, here's chappie 19! Read on and please give me those eleven reviews I need! Pretty please!**

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Chapter 19:

"Renami? What are you doing here so early?" Yugi asked, his eyes wide with surprise when he answered the front door of the Kame Game Shop to find me and my ever-faithful canine companion Gracie waiting for him on the doorstep, both of us covered from head to foot in grass stains and smudges of mud and dirt. I grinned at the shorter teen and brushed stray tendrils of my long hair back out of my face from where the sharp midmorning breeze had torn it out of the plait I'd dragged it back into earlier. Yugi looked me and Gracie up and down, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and curiosity at the state we were in. Gracie's coat was thick with semi-dried mud and grass, and so was my skirt and vest top. My arms, legs, neck and face were smeared with the stuff too, and there was even some in my hair. It was bloody everywhere! But then again, it had been kinda our own stupid fault. Hey, what can I say? Nobody's perfect. Especially not me. Far from it!

"What happened to you two?" He said, scratching at his messy tri-coloured bangs as he stared at us. He looked like he'd just got out of bed, with his hair sticking up all over the place and the only clothing he wore was a pair of light blue pyjama bottoms and fluffy slippers. I hoped we hadn't woken him up or anything, since Yugi was well known to sleep way past noon on weekends, just like me.

You have no idea how relived I was that he'd so quickly forgotten about the first question he asked. I was practically down on my knees, thanking any and all Gods in existence._ "What are you doing here so early?"_ What could I have said to that? Just dropped in for a chat? Savouring my final few hours? Confessing my sins? A bit of all three, actually. Mostly the last one though. I just didn't really fancy spilling my guts to him on his doorstep, y'know what I mean? After all, you never know who could be watching. Or listening.

"Well, it did start off as a walk in the park, but then it kinda turned into an all-out mud wrestling war." I chuckled and bent down slightly so I could ruffle Gracie's velvety soft ears. She whined happily and tilted her head up to me, her tongue lolling from her mouth. Yugi smiled at the Border Collie and knelt down in front of her, reaching out to stroke her also. Instantly Gracie lost interest in me and padded over to the obviously more appealing shorter teen and let him fuss her, rearing up on her back paws and resting her front paws on his pale bare chest to steady herself, licking at his face. Yugi laughed and ran his fingers through her thick fur, not bothered that he was getting covered in muddy paw prints and dog drool. He even wrapped his arms around her and hugged her like a child with his favourite toy, and she didn't mind at all, wagging her tail furiously as she continued to lick him to death.

"Aww, is this your new girlfriend, Yugi?" I teased, leaning against the doorframe with my arms folded over my chest, unable to hold back a smile at the cuteness of my best friend and my dog, "I think she likes you. I don't see why, though. You're just a short, scrawny kid with weird spiky hair."

Yugi looked up at me from where he'd buried his face in Gracie's shoulder and he started to get up again, pausing only when Gracie gave him one last small lick to the tip of his nose, making him giggle. He gave her a final stroke of her ears and straightened up fully, putting his hands on his hips and mock glaring at me, the cutest pout in the world on his lips.

"You know as well as I do that I don't swing that way. And anyway, of course she likes me. Who wouldn't like me? I'm adorable, caring, loyal…"

"Short?" I cut in, smirking impishly.

"Pocket sized for your convenience." He shot back, not missing a beat.

"Scrawny?"

"Slender."

"Weird hair?"

"It's _unique_, not weird."

"How can it be unique when Yami's hair is the same?"

"Yami's hair isn't the same. It's a darker shade of purple than mine. And he's got more gold streaks than me."

"So? It's _almost_ the same."

"Yeah, but 'almost' isn't 'exactly identical', is it?"

"Whatever you say, Small Fry. You'll always be a short, scrawny kid with weird spiky hair to me." I grinned, reaching forwards and ruffling his shock of tri-coloured spikes, messing them up more than they already were. He laughed and ducked away from me, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get out of my range. Heh, it's so adorable how he knows me so damn well. If he hadn't moved, I would've grabbed him in a headlock and noogied his head until he begged for mercy as I have done so many times before. Well, the kid sure knows how to learn from past experiences. Unlike some.

Goosebumps erupted all over my skin when a sudden gust of icy wind caught me off guard as it rushed past me, making me shiver violently. Jesus Christ! Could it get any colder out here? Seriously, it felt like bloody winter, not early autumn. I half expected it to start snowing. It wouldn't surprise me if it did. The weather around here is about as temperamental as me. No joke.

At my side, Gracie looked on, completely oblivious to the lack of temperature. But then again, she did have a thick fur coat to keep her warm, whereas Einstein over here was dangerously close to becoming an ice statue because she didn't think to pick up a jacket when she left the house practically naked. Ok, not quite naked, but I might as well have been in this damn skirt!

"Yeah, ok Yugi. Kinda freezing my ass off out here, y'know." I spoke through gritted teeth as I wrapped my arms tighter around myself in my bid to keep warm. Yugi blinked, momentarily thrown, and then realisation struck him.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" He grinned sheepishly and stepped aside so me and Gracie could get past into the heavenly warmth of the Game Shop behind him, "C'mon in!"

We walked inside and Yugi shut the door behind us, and I laughed loudly when he caught sight of his muddied reflection in the glass pane and started furiously scrubbing at his face with both hands, smearing dirt and dog drool all over his otherwise pale cheeks.

I came up behind the shorter teen and placed both hands on his shoulders, peering over his head into the reflection myself.

"Congratulations, Yug." I smirked, "You've just succeeded in making it ten times worse. There's more mud on your skin than skin!"

"Huh, _you_ can talk!" He retorted with a smirk of his own, still scrubbing away the muck from his features. I chuckled and reached over his shoulder to wipe a smudge of dirt from his nose with my thumb.

"Fair point, oh short one."

Yugi grinned broadly at me through the glass and turned away from the door, leading us through the endless maze of overflowing shelves and display cabinets towards the kitchen at the far end of the Game Shop. The wooden floorboards creaked slightly under our feet and I winced, unintentionally remembering the night before last and my confrontation with that bastard Scott in the Mutou's kitchen, with the rest of my guys completely unaware upstairs. I shivered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the weather.

Gracie whined softly beside me, catching my attention. I switched my attention down to her and she whined again, her ears and tail drooping slightly. She could sense something was wrong, just as Kaiba could earlier. Her amber eyes were bright with confusion and hurt, and she licked my fingers in a reassuring way, though I don't know if she was trying to reassure me or herself. I smiled and shushed her lightly, grazing my fingers over her sleek black and white head. _Oh, Gracie. What will I do without you?_ I've been asking myself that question over and over again all morning, and not just about Gracie. Joey, Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, Marik, Duke, Rehema, Mokuba, _Seto_. Everyone. I just couldn't imagine my life without any of them, but I forced myself to push all that to the back of my mind for the moment. My main concern now was to just get on with what I came here to do, and leave as quickly as possible. The last thing I wanted right now was to drag Yugi and his Grandpa deeper into this shit.

Wait a minute… Where is Grandpa Mutou, anyway?

"Hey Yug, where's Gramps? Shouldn't he be here to run the shop or something?" I asked, breaking the otherwise comfortable silence. Yugi looked back at me with a smile.

"Oh, no, he left for a dig in Egypt last night and left me in charge of the shop for a week until he gets back. Maybe longer, if he finds anything."

"Ah." I nodded in understanding. Yugi's Grandpa is one of the most dedicated archaeologists ever to walk the earth, and he was forever going away on random trips all over the globe, especially to places like Egypt. Both him and his grandson are completely obsessed with Egypt. Who wouldn't be obsessed with as beautiful a place as Egypt? And not to mention all those hot Egyptian guys… Hey, have you seen how many hot Egyptian guys there are? I know four so far, and their names are Yami, Bakura, Marik and Malik. Hot as Hell, but also as straight as roundabouts. A shame really, I suppose, but then again I couldn't really picture any of them with girls. I mean, Bakura seemed to be made for Ryou, and Marik for Malik, and of course Yami for Yugi. Seeing any of them with a girl would be really, really weird, and I would make it my own personal mission to drag them all back to the land of homosexuality.

Suddenly, I was brought abruptly out of my thoughts when I noticed something odd about Yugi walking in front of me. He looked to be limping ever so slightly with every step he took, and when he smiled at me over his shoulder, I saw the muscles of his face tighten a little in a pained grimace. He covered it up pretty well, I gotta admit, but now I'd picked up on it, it stood out so vividly that I couldn't believe how I'd missed it in the past ten minutes of me being here. Hmm… looks like I'm not the only one with secrets around here…

"Yugi? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I said, curiosity getting the better of me as we walked around the counter and entered the kitchen. He froze in his tracks and slowly turned to face me, dread washing over his face like a tidal wave. I could practically hear him screaming _"OH SHIT!!"_ inside his head and I would've found it hilarious if I wasn't so concerned.

"Why do you ask?"

"You're limping." I said simply, my eyes trained on his face as I waited for his response. He flushed bright red at my words, his eyes darting uneasily around the room, focusing on anything but my own piercing gaze.

"I-I… uh… I walked into the kitchen table earlier. But it doesn't matter. I'm ok now." He replied quickly. Too quickly. I could tell he was lying, not only from his stammered response, but also from the way practically his whole body just suddenly tensed up, the wide-eyed look in his violet orbs reminding me so much of a deer stuck in the headlights of an oncoming truck. I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion and he blushed an even deeper shade of red and quickly turned away, moving hastily over to the sink to fill the kettle clumsily from the tap as I sat down at the table, still watching his back sceptically. Bless you, Yugi. You've never been one of the best liars in the world. Not in a million years. And don't forget you're lying to the expert here, the Queen of Liars herself: one Renami Safiya. I could run circles around you with my growing number of lies and secrets. You can't hide anything as masterfully as me. No one can. Just one of my natural talents, I guess.

"Oh, right." I smiled, deciding to drop it for now, "You had me worried for a minute there, Yugi."

Yugi turned back to me and finally met my gaze, the look on his face one of sheer relief when he smiled back, but I pretended I hadn't noticed.

"You want something to drink, Rennie?"

"Sure, why not."

"Tea or coffee?"

I grinned at him and rose from my chair, reaching up and taking two mugs from the shelf above the bread bin.

"Is that a trick question?"

Yugi beamed knowingly, setting the kettle to boil.

"Coffee it is, then."

I chuckled, taking a bowl from the cupboard underneath the sink and filling it with water for Gracie. I placed it on the floor before the Border Collie, who immediately bowed her head and lapped up as much of the clear liquid as she could, and then I sat back down, absently tapping out a tune with my fingernails on the surface of the table as I watched Yugi set about making our coffees. A few minutes later, Yugi joined me at the table with two steaming mugs of Nescafe in his hands. He handed one to me and took a sip from his own, surveying me over the rim.

"Y'know," he said thoughtfully after a few moments of companionable coffee sipping, "You never answered my first question."

Shit. Busted! There's no God up there, I swear there isn't! Either that, or he just really, really hates me.

"Which question was that?" I replied, playing dumb. Yugi raised his eyebrows at me in response and tilted his head as if to say _"Nice try, sweetheart, but that ain't gonna work with me."_

"Don't play coy with me, Renami. I know you better than that." He said seriously. He placed his mug down on the tabletop and practically glared across the table at me, "What's up? I know why you've come here so early. You wanted to talk to me in private before the guys got here, didn't you? You want to tell me something. Something important. Something serious. I can tell by the look on your face. I'm right, aren't I?"

I dropped my gaze to the sweltering brown depths of the mug in my hands and nodded demurely. He really did know me too well. Way too damn well.

I took a deep breath. This is it, Renami. Now or never. C'mon girl, spill it all. Every single little tiny detail. You've kept this secret long enough, and now it's time to tell someone, no matter how much you don't want to. Oh well… Here goes nothing…

"Yugi…" I started, lifting my head back up to lock eyes with him, and when I did, I'm sure my mouth all but plummeted through the tiles at me feet in shock at what had just walked through the door behind the shorter teen, "…Oh."

"What? What is it?" Yugi asked, his expression one of complete bewilderment, having not yet noticed what I was gawping at, and when the smirk spread across my face, he looked more confused than ever, his eyebrows furrowing together into a frown and a pout on his lips. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut across him.

"Hey, Yugi. Guess what. I think I just figured out why you're limping." I grinned mischievously, folding my arms and gesturing behind him with a nod of my head. That familiar look of dread reappeared on his face as he slowly turned around to see one Yami Atemu yanking his shirt over his head of wild tri-coloured bangs, totally oblivious to the fact that his Aibou wasn't entirely alone down here. The taller teen's leather pants were unzipped and his belt buckle was unfastened. Obviously he'd just got out of bed. And I've got a pretty good idea _whose_ bed he'd just got out of, and exactly _what he did_ in that bed the night before with his shorter look-alike. Heh heh heh. Seems I wasn't the only one getting some last night…

"_Yami!"_ Yugi squeaked shrilly as Yami surfaced from the folds of his black shirt, dragging the material down his body to cover his well-built tanned chest.

"What, Aibou?" Yami replied, looking up, expecting to see only his boyfriend all by his lonesome when instead he caught sight of me behind said boyfriend, sitting at the kitchen table, grinning at him over a mug of coffee like a demented Cheshire cat.

"Shit." He swore quietly. That summed it all up just about right, I think.

"Well, well, well. I see what's going on here. Grandpa Mutou's been gone less than twelve hours, and you've already jumped into bed together!" I cackled as they both looked down guiltily at the floor like a couple of naughty schoolboys caught in the act.

"We didn't mean to…" Yugi said in a small voice, his cheeks once again flushed a furious shade of deep pink, "It just sort of… happened. Yami came over about an hour after Gramps left and we watched a film together. We were cuddled up close on the couch and… and we started kissing, and we kept on kissing until it all got a little out of control and…"

"And you moved the show on to the bedroom, where you had hot passionate sex with each other for the very first time. Only, what? A _day_ after you actually started going out with each other? Christ, whatever happened to slow, steady relationships?" I laughed loudly, unable to hold my mirth back any longer. I couldn't help it! The looks on their faces were just so fucking priceless! But then again, I did feel a bit of a hypocrite. Slow steady relationships? At least they were actually _in_ a relationship when they had sex. And then there was me screwing Seto Kaiba for purely selfish reasons. There'd been no love in any of that, from neither me nor the big man himself. (Emphasis on _big_, if you know what I mean…)

"It was my fault." Yami said, glancing briefly over at his flushed lover and then at me, "I started it all off. I couldn't help myself, I…"

"What're you apologising for, you moron? You slept with each other, and I'll bet you'll be wanting to sleep with each other again some time soon. I'm glad you did, actually. About bloody time you two got together." I smiled, standing up from the table and throwing my arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight hug, "It was driving me fucking crazy."

We all laughed together then and I let go of them both, stepping back with a satisfied smile on my lips as Yami wound his arm around Yugi's waist and pulled his lover close, giving him a chaste kiss on lips, making the shorter blush even darker. I could see how much they loved each other in just that one small kiss, and I was so happy for them both. My heart must've swelled to about five times its normal size with delight, but that also magnified the stab of jealousy that shot through me like a lightning bolt at the happy couple. Yet another Happy Ending. And where was mine? In my fucking grave, that's where. I would've given anything in the world just for someone to love, someone who loved me back and cared for me. Someone who would never hurt me, who would keep me safe in their arms and cherish me for the rest of my life. Was it too much to ask? Why do I always end up making the wrong choices and getting hurt in the consequences? All I wanted was for someone to save me and get rid of all my pain and suffering for good. Everyone needs someone to love, so why haven't I got anyone yet? It seems that the only people I attract are arrogant teenage CEOs with poles rammed up their asses, or sadistic possessive psychopaths with a sick fetish of kicking the living shit out of me, both physically and mentally. Kinda puts teenage angst into perspective, doesn't it?

I turned away and reached for my coffee, purposely keeping my back to Yugi and Yami so I had chance to blink away the tears that had suddenly formed in my eyes. I couldn't hide them from Gracie though, and she abandoned her bowl of water to lean comfortingly against my leg, looking up at me sadly with her beautiful hazel eyes. Yugi and Yami were talking to each other in soft voices, so I took advantage of their distraction and knelt down to kiss Gracie on the top of her head in thanks.

When I straightened up again, Yami and Yugi had stopped talking and were now smiling at me widely, their identical violet eyes sparkling with joy.

"Looks like you're the only virgin of the gang now, Renami." Yugi giggled, snuggling up close into Yami's chest. I nearly choked on the mouthful of coffee I'd just drunk. Shit, now what do I say?!

"Heh… Not quite."

Their eyes must've widened to about the size of dinner plates. Brilliant. Just fucking amazing. If I'd have just laughed it off, we could've avoided this sort of thing, but now I've gone and stuck my foot in it big style, I'm screwed on so many fucking levels. Oh Hell, they're sure listening intently now.

"Wait. What? You've…"

"Um… Yeah."

"What! When?!"

"Last night."

"With who?!"

I winced. Damn, I'm not telling them that! I think Yugi would have a full-blown heart attack if I did, not to mention Yami. I could just see it now. _"Hey guys, guess what! I slept with Seto Kaiba!"_ Bang. Two teens, comatose. A trip to Domino hospital for breakfast? No thanks.

"Ah… I'd rather not say…" I said lamely, frantically praying with every fibre of my being that they wouldn't press for details. Yugi Mutou lose interest in the juiciest bit of gossip to date? Heh. Yeah. I don't think so, somehow.

Yugi opened his mouth to interrogate me some more on my secret bedmate, but thankfully I was saved by Yami who interrupted the shorter with one of the questions I was least expecting to hear.

"You did use protection, right?"

Caught off guard, I thought back for a moment, then shook my head.

"Um… no."

"Renami!!"

"What?! Did _you_ use protection?!"

"No, but we're guys! We don't _need_ protection!"

"And why not?!"

"Because we can't get _pregnant!_"

Boy, did I shut up bloody quick then. I honestly hadn't thought about that at all. Not before I went to Kaiba's mansion, not before we had sex, and certainly not this morning when I woke up next to him. It hadn't even crossed my mind that I could be… _that. _I am _such_ an idiot!

"…Fuck." Was the only answer I could come up with, and Yugi's eyes widened, if possible, even more than they already had.

"Oh no! You're not, are you?!" He gasped loudly, slapping a hand to his mouth in shock.

"God, I hope not." Kaiba babies? No fucking way! One Seto Kaiba was bad enough, thank you very much. Two of them, and I think I'd just have to go and slit my wrists in a corner somewhere. My mentality wouldn't be able to deal with the stress. And me being the mother of his child? That'd be the scoop of the year for the press, wouldn't it? I could practically see the headlines already. _'Seto Kaiba's teenage girlfriend gives birth, but here's the catch folks: She ain't his girlfriend and they hate each other's guts.' _Oh yes, that would go down very well, I don't think.

Suddenly I heard the door to the Kame Game Shop creak open, and footsteps entered the shop. Me, Yami and Yugi hesitated for a moment before Yami leaned back a little so he could see out of the kitchen door and past the counter.

"Customers." He said, and Yugi sprang to his feet, eager to serve them, but his lover placed a gentle hand to his bare chest, stopping him. "I'll go, Aibou. As good as you look in your pyjamas, I don't think you want to be serving customers in them, do you?"

Yugi looked down at himself and giggled.

"No, I guess you're right." He smiled and reached up on tiptoes to plant a small kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "Just don't forget to zip your fly before you go."

Yami grinned and kissed him back, fastening up his leather pants as he turned from the kitchen and walked away into the shop to serve whoever was there. Me and Yugi stayed silent for a few more seconds, listening to the deep baritone of Yami's voice as he greeted them, and the voice that answered back made my blood run ice cold in my veins. Gracie started growling, her eyes narrowing angrily as she crouched low, ready to attack. She recognised that voice too. Oh God! Not here! Not now!

Yugi blinked down at the furious Border Collie by my side, confusion etched deep into his features. He had no idea what was going on and how much danger we were in.

"Hey, what's up with –" He started, but then broke off when I grabbed hold of his wrist tightly.

"I'm in trouble, Yugi." I whispered, staring deep into his wide violet orbs, "I'm in serious trouble."

No sooner had the words left my mouth when the deafening crash of breaking glass erupted from the Game Shop, followed almost immediately by a loud groan of pain, which unmistakably came from Yami. Gracie took off through the door instantly, snarling savagely, me and Yugi hot on her heels as we burst into the shop faster than humanly possible.

The first thing I saw was the glass counter smashed to ruins, and an unconscious Yami Atemu lying close by, covered and surrounded by bits of broken glass. Blood was seeping down the side of his face and his shirt had rode up slightly, displaying the large fist-sized bruise on his abdomen, just beginning to darken. Four men were stood not too far away from the teen, spread out slightly to block any escape from the Game Shop. There was no way out. We were completely surrounded.

"Yami!!" Yugi cried out in horror when he saw his fallen lover and sprinted towards him before I had chance to grab him and keep him back out of harm's way.

"Yugi! No!" I shouted and desperately reached for him, but someone else got there first. A fifth man grabbed hold of him and dragged him close, wrapping his arms around the shorter teen in his grasp, embracing him tenderly as one would a lover. Yugi struggled viciously in his hold, straining to get to Yami's side, screaming his name over and over again, but his captor merely chuckled low in his throat and looked up at me, his bright emerald green eyes fixed on mine.

"Hello, my pretty. What a coincidence, meeting you here." Scott grinned, and the four other men laughed nastily. I glared at Scott fiercely, focusing all my attention on him and his prisoner, burning hatred filling up inside me. He chuckled again and raised a hand to Yugi's face, stroking his cheek softly, never taking his eyes from mine.

"Hush, Little One. Your boyfriend isn't dead. Yet. If you behave yourself and be a good boy, maybe I'll let him live. No promises, mind, but you'll have to stop struggling and do exactly what I say. Understand?" He whispered in Yugi's ear, his lips brushing against his flesh with every word he spoke. Yugi's terrified wide-eyed stare switched from Yami to the other men in the room, and then finally he locked gazes with me and I nodded once, telling him to do as he was told. He immediately stilled in Scott's arms, though he couldn't stop himself trembling in fear. Scott kissed his cheek almost affectionately.

"Good boy." He murmured, and I clenched my fists by my sides so tight that my knuckles turned stark white. Gracie snarled warningly at the strangers from where she was stood protectively in front of me, her lips pulled taut back from her sharp teeth. She looked ready to pounce, but I stopped her by placing my hand gently on top of her head. This was bad. Really bad. I should've seen this! I should've known that if I came here, he'd take my friends as hostages and use them against me. And he brought backup too, so even if I wanted to rush at the bastard and rip his head off his shoulders, I wouldn't even be able to get halfway across the room before a dozen punches met with my body and sent me crashing into unconsciousness like Yami. Why did I come here? All I wanted was to avoid my friends getting involved with this shit, and I practically dragged them into it myself. I wanted to tell Yugi everything, so he'd know what was going to happen, but I came too late. Way too late.

"What do you want?" I hissed at Scott. He and his cronies laughed again, and that only made me angrier still. I was so fucking pissed it was unreal. All I could see was red, and my rage level was rising rapidly. I was trying so hard to avoid looking at Yugi, because I knew that all the panic and fear in his eyes would break my heart.

"Have you forgotten already? Christ, I only told you two days ago." Scott sneered. With the hand that was still on Yugi's face, he used it to tilt the teen's head to one side and pressed his lips to his throat, making Yugi shudder and his large eyes filled with tears. I instantly forgot about everything else and took a threatening step forwards. The only thing going through my head now was that I needed to get Yugi and Yami out of here before Scott decided to do to them what he did to Joey in that alley. I'd never forgive myself if that happened. I've already witnessed one rape that happened because of me. I didn't want to witness two more.

"Leave him alone." I growled as savagely as Gracie and I started walking slowly towards Scott and Yugi, Gracie by my side. Scott didn't seem too bothered by my advancing, but his thugs simultaneously reached to the back of their waistbands or dug their hands into their pockets for weapons, ready to pull them out and take me down whenever their Boss gave them the green light.

"Why should I? I told you what I was going to do to him, didn't I? Or have you forgotten that, too? Maybe I should refresh your memory." Scott responded with a twisted leer and moved his hand from Yugi's neck, instead trailing it down his bare chest, over his nipples and down to his pyjama bottoms. Tears spilled from Yugi's eyes and he began to weep, his sobs muffled by Scott's other hand that now covered his mouth.

"Get the fuck away from him!" I shouted and made to run at him, but Scott had already anticipated this and nodded his head at one of his thugs, signalling for him to intercept me. The thug moved forwards quicker than I thought possible for a man of his bulk and he reached for me with a large meaty hand, but fortunately that was the moment Gracie chose to strike. She leapt up with a snarl and sunk her teeth deep into the man's outstretched arm, making him veer away from me with a cry of pain and a dog attached to his forearm.

One of the other thugs ran to help his comrade, and somehow managed to rip the Border Collie from his flesh before he threw her bodily back into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind her. I could hear her flinging herself against the door and scrabbling at the wood, barking frantically as she tried to force her way out, but she didn't have a chance in Hell. Now it was just me against many. Not the best odds in the world, but I was so fired up I didn't care. Adrenaline was pulsing through my body at the speed of light, spreading through my limbs like wildfire, but even with this sudden burst of determination, I didn't last long when the bitten thug grabbed me painfully and backhanded me straight across the face, sending me crashing to the glass-covered floor. It hurt like a bitch, but I bit back my cry of pain as he seized a handful of my long hair and dragged me up into a kneeling position before Scott and his captive. I looked up through my lavender bangs to see Yugi staring down at me, tears streaming down his face, completely petrified out of his wits. Scott was looking at me in amusement, the corners of his lips curling upwards into a smirk.

"Outnumbered five to one, and you still try to attack me? Even when I'm holding one of your friends captive in my arms. You're a very brave unique girl. You care more for the safety of others rather than saving your own skin. That's your biggest weakness, and that's why you are so _easy_ to manipulate." He grinned, and to prove his point he let his hand trail to Yugi's crotch and he rubbed the material between his legs, making Yugi cry out in shock and horror and causing me struggle to get to my feet, feeling several hairs part company with my scalp from where the thug didn't release his hold of me.

"Let him go, you psychotic son of a bitch!!" I roared, my rage reaching new heights I didn't even know I could reach. Scott threw his head back and laughed, moving his hand from Yugi's pyjama bottoms and resting it flat against the teen's pale stomach.

"See what I mean? You care too much. It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic."

"You want pathetic? Look in a mirror, asshole." I hissed. The thug behind me pulled at my hair a little harder, no doubt seeing this as payback for letting my dog maul his arm, but I didn't care. They could hurt me as much as they liked, just as long as they left Yugi and Yami out of it.

Scott snorted with laughter and without warning he threw Yugi away from him, sending the shorter skidding along the floor until he came to rest a few feet from Yami's side. Yugi immediately scrambled to his lover and laid his head on the taller teen's chest, checking if he was still breathing. From the soft sigh of relief he gave after a few seconds, I knew Yami was still with us, and that calmed me down a little. But when the hand on my hair released its hold of me and Scott knelt down to my level, my anger rose again like a cobra in my chest.

The green-eyed bastard grinned maniacally as he brushed my bangs from my eyes. I hated his touch. I hated the feeling of his skin against mine, but I didn't flinch away. I wasn't going to let him think I was weak, no matter what he said or did to me. His face was literally inches from mine, and his emerald eyes blazed deep into mine, sparkling sadistically. I glared back, hating him more and more the seconds passed by.

"I love the way you look at me like that, my pretty. The loathing in your eyes is just so incredible. I love making you angry and toying with you at every chance I get. I'd love to take you for myself, but I can't. You belong to Alex and no one else. Shame. I've dreamed of breaking you and keeping you as my own personal pet to torture and fuck, but then again I've already got one of those."

"I don't belong to anyone." I replied, my voice deadly low. Scott smirked at me and grabbed hold of me by the shoulders, yanked me towards him and he kissed me hard. I struggled violently, lashing out at every inch of him that I could reach. He moved one hand up to wrap around my throat warningly, but I ignored it and continued to fight him off until he broke away from my lips with a growl.

"Stop struggling, my pretty. Don't piss me off. You know what'll happen to your friends if you do." He hissed dangerously in my ear.

"Fuck you." I spat back, gagging slightly when his hand tightened around my throat.

"Fine. Have it your way, then." Scott replied and clicked his fingers without turning around. The four thugs grabbed hold of Yami and Yugi, dragging them up into kneeling positions like me. Yami hung limp in their grasp, still out of it, and Yugi gasped in pain as he was yanked to his knees by his tri-coloured spikes. I knew exactly what Scott was planning to do, and I'd do anything I could to stop it.

"Who goes first, pretty one? You decide. Which one can I have fun with first? Or maybe I should just let my men back there have their way with your precious friends. They deserve a treat for their services to me. So who will it be? Spiky number one, or Spiky number two?" He said, flashing me that horrible twisted grin of his. Over his shoulder I could see the thugs closing in on Yugi and Yami, and the shorter still-conscious teen had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his head bowed so he didn't have to look at any of the strangers. Tears continued to roll down his pale face, dripping onto the glass-covered floorboards below.

"No!" I shouted, "No! Leave them alone, Scott. You got what you came for, so just leave them out of this!"

"I don't think so. You want to play it the hard way, then we'll play it the hard way." Scott replied coldly, turning around to watch the show. I lurched forwards desperately and grabbed hold of him by the front of his jacket.

"Don't hurt them, Scott. If you want to hurt anyone, then hurt me. Whatever you want to do to them, do it to me instead. Rape me, torture me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave my friends alone!" I pleaded, ultimately sealing my fate. Scott looked down at my hands gripping onto his jacket and the brought his gaze back up to my face, his expression void of any emotion. For one horrible heart-stopping moment, I thought he was going to let them go on and rape Yami and Yugi, but instead he raised a hand, signalling for his men to stop, which they did.

"Alright. I'll leave them alone. For now." He said. I would've collapsed in relief if I hadn't already been down on the floor, but my relief was short-lived as Scott got to his feet and pulled me up with him, snaking one arm around my waist to hold me in place.

"Time to go, my pretty. Your master awaits you." He sniggered maliciously in my ear, giving a brief sharp nip to the lobe with his teeth. I winced at the sting of both the bite and his words, and looked away from him, only to be met with Yugi's tearful yet determined violet gaze as he stared straight at me.

"No, Renami! Don't listen to him! Don't let him manipulate you like that! Just get out of here before –"

"Someone shut him up." Scott scowled, turning away from the two kneeling teens, pulling me along with him. I hadn't put up much resistance up until that point, but when he said that and I spun back around just in time to see one of his thugs kick Yugi cruelly in the stomach, making the younger scream in pain and curl himself up into a ball, his arms wrapped tight around his midriff. Seeing that was like striking a match inside a gas tank. All my anger came rushing back to me in an instant. Go quietly? You must be fucking joking!

"Yugi!" I yelled, my arms straining almost to snapping point as I tried with all my strength to tear myself away from Scott's grasp. This sudden burst of energy obviously surprised him, but he somehow still managed to hold onto me with a grip of steel, his sharp nails digging into my skin as continued to drag me through the shop and out into the daylight of Domino.

"Renami!" I heard Yugi cry from behind us as me, Scott and the four thugs burst through the front door of the Kame Game Shop, heading straight for a black unmarked Transit van parked by the curb, waiting for the captors and their captive. Oh, if they think they're gonna get me in that, they've got another thing coming!

"Fucking get off me, bastards!!" I screamed, lashing out wildly in every direction possible, attempting to kick, punch and headbutt those closest to me. At least two of them stumbled slightly when my blows connected, and one unlucky asshole got a gobful of muddy Converse sneaker, but I still couldn't free myself. Scott held me so tight I could barely breathe and it looked like he didn't really give a shit if he cut off my air supply altogether.

Two of the thugs jumped into the front seat of the van, and the other two threw open the back door, climbing in before reaching down to help their Boss with their flailing mud-covered lavender-haired prisoner.

"Renami!!" Yugi shouted again, running out of the Game Shop as fast as his legs could carry him. A foot shaped bruise had formed on his pale stomach, and the knees of his pyjamas were bloodied and torn from where he'd knelt on all the broken glass. He caught sight of me being bundled roughly into the back of the van and he sprinted towards it as the doors slammed shut and the engine ignited, the vehicle roaring into life. By some miracle, I managed to fight my way out of Scott's hold and flung myself up against the glass pane in the back of the van, pounding on the door with my fists.

Yugi's hand was inches away from the van, but it hurtled away down the road before he could reach the handle. He must've been running on some adrenaline of his own because he actually started sprinting down the street after us, calling my name over and over as he ran. We all knew he wouldn't be able to catch the van, since it was building up speed with every second that passed, and sure enough Yugi started to fall back, unable to keep up.

"Yugi!!" I screamed, watching his figure get smaller the further away we drove. I started pounding on the door again and opened my mouth to shout when Scott clapped his hand hard over my lips and I involuntarily breathed in whatever chemicals were on the cloth he held in his palm. After a few seconds, my limbs went weak and he removed his hand as I slumped back against his chest, my breathing coming out in short wheezing gasps.

"RENAMI!!" I heard Yugi yell one final time before my world went black.

**Cara: Please review for me peoples, I love it when you reivew! :D**

**Chiyo: -in shadowrealm- God, I really hate my hikari**


	20. I Don't Care

**Cara: Oooh! We're so close to a hundred reviews, I can almost taste it!**

**Chiyo: If you wanted to taste a review.**

**Cara: Shut up, you. Anyways peoples, I haven't updated as soon as I would've liked because of two things. One: Writer's Block. It kills me, it really does. It fries my brain. And Two: my computer has officially died and won't connect to the Internet any more, so I have to use my crappy old laptop instead. D:**

**Chiyo: It'll be a miracle if this actually gets posted up, since the Internet on the laptop is about as naff as the Internet on the computer.**

**Cara: I'll say. Ok then, please read on and review folks! Gimme those hundred I crave!!! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20:

Seto's POV:

It was about one in the afternoon and I was locked in my bathroom, furiously jerking myself off for what must've been the hundredth time today since Safiya left. I don't know what was fucking wrong with me! All I had to do was picture that infuriatingly arousing smirk of hers (and other parts of her anatomy) in my mind and I had the mother of all tents pitched in my pants. That wasn't exactly what I'd wanted to happen when I was halfway through my meeting with Kaiba Corp's board of directors, but it did. And it wouldn't go away until I finally managed to make it to the privacy of my office and get rid of it. Yeah, me and my hand are best friends now, since it doesn't look like I'll be getting any more from Safiya any time soon. I know I wanted more from her. God, I wanted _so_ much more, but I had a feeling that something was wrong. With the hurry she left in and what she said to me before she left, there was definitely something secretive going on. But then again, that's nothing new. Renami Safiya has got to be the all-time Queen of secrets. In fact, fuck that, she's the Goddess of secrets! A Goddess in more sense than one…

A familiar feeling of heat pooled in my abdomen and a white haze started descending over my vision, so I pumped myself as hard and fast as I could, shutting my eyes and pretending that it wasn't my hand I was screwing, but a certain purple-haired teenage girl with severe anger management issues instead. I hate that girl so much, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy fucking her into oblivion. Who _wouldn't_ enjoy pounding that ass into a mattress? Or a wall, or a table, or whatever surface was closest for you to throw her down and ravage her on like a wild animal. You'd have to be out of your mind to not enjoy that.

I climaxed with a groan through gritted teeth, trying to make as little noise as possible as I came all over my fingers. The last thing I needed right now was for Mokuba to burst in with every single bodyguard in the mansion, thinking I was being murdered in my bathroom. Heh. They'd get one Hell of a shock if they did come running in here at this very moment. I think Mokie would be mentally scarred for life.

After wiping away the mess I'd made with a wad of toilet roll, I zipped up my leather pants and refastened my belt, carefully checking myself all over just in case I'd missed a spot. Another thing I didn't need right now. Walking out of my office with cum on my trousers is something I really don't want my employees and my brother to see. I may be rich, but I'm not rich enough to pay for therapy for everyone in my employment, thank you very much.

My laptop was sat waiting for me on my desk and I scowled when I exited the bathroom, my already crap mood darkening further as I glared at it, wishing it would somehow just spontaneously combust before I reached it. Unfortunately it didn't, so I forced myself to sit down in my chair and glared some more at the screen, fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to type… what? What am I supposed to be typing anyway? Why am I working on this shit when I could just get someone who works for me to do it? After all, that is what I pay them for, isn't it? Oh yeah, because most of my employees are neurotic idiots with limited intelligence and common sense. Granted, there are some with enough brain cells to form an IQ, but not many. I've learnt the hard way that if you want something done right, then do it yourself. It would help if I wasn't so damn distracted…

Christ, Safiya can give a good head. With the way she sucked me off up against the bathroom wall this morning, I would've actually laughed in the face of anyone who told me she'd been a virgin less than twelve hours ago. Seriously. I've had my fair share of prostitutes with way more experience than her, but for some reason I'd sooner share another night having sex with Safiya than I would with any of them. I would give away my entire fortune just to feel that gorgeous mouth of hers around my cock again, to watch her writhe and moan beneath me, to feel her hot kisses and soft touches, her rough bites and her sharp fingernails scraping down my back. I'd sell my soul if I could.

Blood rushed southwards and once again my groin reawakened into semi-hardness. I looked down and groaned loudly, rolling my eyes. Oh, for fuck sake! Not again! I wasn't half being betrayed by my body today. Renami Safiya, what have you done to me?

I did my best to ignore the stiff appendage between my legs, desperately thinking unsexy thoughts. Roadkill. Dead babies. Joey Wheeler in a tiara and tinsel bikini. All the nasty, repulsive things. Think anything but Safiya lounging back on my desk, wearing only my white trench coat and nothing else underneath to cover her beautiful sunkissed body… Shit. Too late.

One quick trip to the bathroom later and I was back at my desk. By some miracle I'd actually managed to type a whole sentence before my mine wandered back to more interesting things, namely how good she'd look in skin-tight leather.

Suddenly the doors of my office burst open with such force that they smashed against the walls at either side, the hinges threatening to snap. Anyone else would've jumped up about a mile into the air in shock, no doubt banging their knees on the underside of the desk they were sat at in the process, but not me. After all, I am Seto Kaiba, so I did little more than glance over the top of my laptop as a familiar woman came rushing into the room as fast as she could, which wasn't really all that fast since she was about eight months pregnant. I could tell immediately that something was wrong from her deathly pale face and wild hair and eyes. She looked completely livid. With fear? Anger? I didn't know. All I knew was that I probably wasn't going to like what I was about to hear.

"Rehema, you know better than anyone not to barge into my office unannounced." I spoke icily, returning my gaze to the laptop screen. Rehema gasped for a few seconds, getting her breath back, her hands on her heaving swollen stomach. Wait a minute… I looked back up sharply. Please God, please don't let her give birth right here, right now in my bloody office! Childbirth isn't something any teenager wants to see, especially not me. I hate babies. That's probably one of the reasons why I'll never reproduce.

"Seto… serious trouble… downstairs…" Rehema panted, still breathless as she clung onto the doorframe for support, impatiently sweeping her chocolate coloured curls back from her face. I stood up quickly, fear gripping my insides as tight as steel. As relieved as I was that I wasn't about to witness the delivery of our housekeeper's first child, all that relief instantly disappeared as another thought struck me like lightning. Mokuba. Something bad had happened to my little brother.

"Mokuba?!" I spat urgently, hands curling into fists where they rested on top of my desk. Rehema blinked in confusion and then shook her head.

"No, no, Mokuba's fine." She said. I instantly relaxed, relief flooding over me once more. Thank God. If anything had happened to Mokie, I don't know what I'd do…

Hold on. If Mokuba's fine, and she wasn't going into labour, what was this 'serious trouble downstairs'?

"What is it? What's going on?" I demanded, my gaze fixed coldly on her. She stared back at me, tears dripping from her hazel orbs, sliding slick tracks down her cheeks. My eyes widened. She's crying? Why?

"R- R- Renami…" She choked, fighting back sobs, wiping her cheeks dry with the backs of her hands. My blood ran cold in my veins.

"Renami? What – " I started to ask, but she interrupted me before I could finish.

"She's gone! They kidnapped her from the Kame Game Shop! They hurt her and her friends before they took her away with them! She's gone! They took her! She's gone!" Her voice got higher and louder the more hysterical she became. She was shaking badly, her entire body quivering as though she was stuck outside in the cold. I'd never seen her like this before. She'd always been so calm and collected, excellent at keeping a level head in tense situations. I remember a few years back when her husband George, one of my personal bodyguards, stopped a bullet meant for me. He'd been in a critical condition in hospital for many weeks afterwards, and throughout that time Rehema was completely composed as she sat vigil by his bedside twenty four hours a day. Sure, she'd been a Hell of a lot quieter than her usual bubbly self, and there'd been a particularly stressful period when George went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated three times in the space of a few hours, but other than that she kept herself in check. She held back all her emotion over those weeks, and only let it go when he finally came round and was given the all-clear to go home. I remember watching her break down in tears in his arms, hugging him tightly and kissing him, repeating his name over and over. It was such a touching scene that even my icy demeanour softened a little as I looked at them. I wondered if I would ever find someone other than my brother who would care about me in the same way. But I've matured since then. Love? I don't have time for love. I only have time for my work. And who would love me anyway? As a certain purple-haired teenage girl often said, I am nothing but an _"arrogant, self-centred, egotistical son of a bitch."_ And other words to that effect.

I walked around my desk, towards the weeping housekeeper, trying hard to resist the urge to grab her and tell her to get a Goddamn grip. Her words kept replaying in my mind. _Renami… gone… kidnapped… they hurt her… they took her away…_

"How do you know this?" I asked, "Who are 'they'?"

She looked up at me with a glare of such ferocity, I was surprised flames didn't shoot out at me from her eyes. Oh, that glare looked so familiar, but it wasn't her face I was used to seeing it on.

"You think if I knew who they were, I'd be stood here right now?!" She hissed angrily, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she took a step forwards. I'm not one who is easily scared, but something about the advancing hormonal furious pregnant woman made me ever so slightly anxious. Maybe it was the fact that she looked about a few seconds away from punching me in the face, as she has threatened to do more than once in the past.

Rehema stopped moving towards me and broke her gaze from mine, growling low in her throat as she glared down at the carpet instead of me. She reminded me a little of Safiya's pet Border Collie. Not a very flattering comparison, I know, being compared to a dog, but I didn't really mean it in that bad a way.

"It was on the news downstairs a few minutes ago. Mokuba was flicking through the channels on the TV and I walked in just as he stopped on the news report. I came up here as quick as I could." She said after a moment, her gaze still trained on the floor.

"And why did you come up here?" I replied, my face impassive as I remained where I stood. Rehema looked back up sharply, her brow creased into a deep frown.

"What?! Why do you think I came up here?!" She cried incredulously. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled at her.

"Obviously you seem to think I actually give a damn."

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief at my words, her mouth dropping open as she stared at me.

"What –"

"And obviously you were mistaken, so get out of my office. I have work to do." I replied with about as much warmth as a fridge freezer as I took my seat back behind my desk. Rehema continued to gawp at me until her pretty features twisted with so much pure undiluted hatred that she almost looked ugly.

"What the _fuck_ crawled up your ass and died, Seto Kaiba?!" She shouted furiously, her voice shaking with anger, "Don't act like you don't care about her!!"

"I _don't_ fucking care about her!!" I spat back, rising from my seat once more. I towered over her easily, but despite my extra height and my rapidly rising temper, she still glared up at me fiercely, not the slightest bit intimidated. Maybe it was because one of my employees was standing up to me without even the smallest flicker of fear in her eyes that pissed me off enough to say what I said next. The words came spilling out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Nobody cares about that pathetic, insecure, secretive whore!! Not me, not anyone!!"

Immediately I wished I hadn't said anything at all, but it was already too late. I didn't mean a single word of it. Yes, Renami was insecure and secretive, but she sure as Hell wasn't a pathetic whore. That's what she told me to think of her as when she left this morning. A nameless whore. Just another prostitute. But I didn't want to think of her as that. I suppose I've always respected her, even admired her somewhere along the line, and now with what I've just yelled for all the mansion to hear, I don't think I've ever hated myself more.

I was brought abruptly out of my thoughts when a hand came into painful contact with my cheek, making my head jerk sharply to the left, the resulting slapping sound echoing loudly around the room. It took me a few seconds to process what had just happened and when realisation dawned I stared at the soon-to-be ex-housekeeper incredulously as I brought my hand up to my stinging cheek. I couldn't believe she actually slapped me! She fucking slapped me!

Rehema was glowering at me, her chest heaving as though she'd just run a marathon. Her face was flushed dark red and she was literally shaking with rage, her hands clenched in fists so tight by her sides that it looked like her knuckles were mere seconds away from bursting through her skin. To be honest, she looked pretty damn scary. If it were a choice between being thrown into a pit of starving rabid dogs or being locked in a room with an enraged Rehema, I'd choose the dogs any day.

"_Never_ insult Renami in front of me ever again. Understand?" She growled through gritted teeth, jabbing her finger at me warningly, "I won't tolerate people badmouthing my niece like that. Especially people like _you_, Seto Kaiba!"

I was about to retort with one of the many cutting comebacks at my disposal, but then it suddenly struck me what she'd just said. Said? Let slip, more like. Rehema realised her mistake too, but like when I shouted out that Renami was a worthless whore, it was too late to take it back.

"Niece?" I asked, my angry scowl turning into wide-eyed astonishment. Rehema turned away and swore vehemently. "Renami's your niece?"

Rehema didn't answer straightaway, muttering curses at herself under her breath.

"Yes. She is." She finally sighed in defeat, turning back round to meet my gaze once more. "Her mother, Kiani Safiya, was my younger sister. She was killed in a car accident along with Renami's sister Zahra. Renami was only fourteen. I tried to find her after the accident but she disappeared. I'd almost given up on looking for her until me and George found her unconscious on the sidewalk after she was nearly run over near Domino Park a few weeks back. I knew it was her instantly. She looks so much like her mother…" Rehema trailed off there, her voice strained as though she was trying her hardest not to cry. I wanted to ask a dozen questions, but I didn't. All this information about Renami's past was circling around in my head. One of her many secrets revealed. I know for a fact that I've never heard her mention a single word about her family before. I don't think she's even told Mutou and the rest of them about it. A bit like me in a way, I suppose. I don't talk about Gozuburo, not even to Mokuba. Not that we'd want to talk about that bastard in the first place.

Rehema couldn't find any trace of Renami for three years? Why was that? Renami had been at Domino High for as long as I could remember. Either Rehema didn't look that hard, or the Queen of Secrets somehow managed to keep herself hidden for all that time up until about a month ago. Or maybe… maybe just over _six _months ago.

_"On the girl, we found numerous half-healed scars on her back, and when we took her into X-ray, we discovered that a number of her bones are in the final stages of repair, making us believe she has suffered a significant amount of trauma to her body round about six months ago. Do you know anything about this?"_

That's what the doctor in the hospital said to me when I brought her and the Mutt in after that incident in the alley. The scars on her back. Her healing broken bones. Maybe they have something to do with her disappearance back then and now. Something obviously happened to her. But what?

"Does she know?" I asked, my voice uncharacteristically soft. Rehema shook her head.

"That she's related to me? No, she doesn't know. I was going to tell her, but now I can't. She's disappeared again. I've lost her again." She looked away, fresh tears dripping from her eyelashes. I surveyed her steadily, my face a blank unemotional mask, hiding my true feelings. I didn't know what to do. Half of me wanted to get my ass out there and start looking for the missing girl, but the other half growled that none of this was any concern of mine. I had work to do. Important work for the company. I couldn't afford to waste my time searching for a single insignificant teenager. She meant nothing to me, so why should I care?

"I still don't see why this has anything to do with me." I said, walking away from the silently crying pregnant woman, purposely keeping my back to her so I didn't have to meet her gaze, choosing instead to stare out of the window I was now facing. I half-expected her to start screaming at me again, but to my surprise that wasn't what she did.

"You owe her." Rehema replied quietly. I glanced back over my shoulder at her and found her hard hazel eyes boring holes through my skull.

"I don't owe her anything."

"Yes you do, Seto. Have you actually stopped to think that if it weren't for Renami, you and Mokuba would still be as distant to each other as you have been ever since Gozuburo's death? Have you? If Renami had never met Mokie in that cinema, and if he hadn't pestered you to invite her over, you would've never fixed things between you and your brother. You would've grown further and further apart until eventually Mokuba came to hate you as much as you hated Gozuburo. Renami gave you your brother back, Seto. The least you could do is to help bring her back to the people who love her."

Silence fell between us. I would've yelled at her and literally dragged her away and thrown her straight out of the front doors of my mansion, but I didn't. I couldn't. Because I knew she was right. I really did owe Renami big time for what she did for me. She brought me and Mokuba back together again, destroying the wedge Gozuburo had artfully driven between us. In the orphanage, I always used to say to Mokuba that blood was thicker than water. It seemed so hypocritical now, after the years of neglect I'd put Mokie through since then. We're both eternally grateful towards Renami for repairing the damage. And is this how I repay her? Acting like I didn't give a damn about her when really all I wanted to do was return the favour.

"Me and Mokuba would've worked things out without Renami's help." I muttered without any real conviction.

"Would you?" Rehema murmured softly. She came up behind me and clasped my shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuringly. I made no move to shake her off. "Think about it, Seto. For once in your life, do what your heart tells you, not your head. I know you think emotions make people vulnerable and weak, but everyone has to have emotions. Even you. It's all part of being human. Sometimes it's our emotions that make us strong. Think about it."

She sighed and let her hand drop.

"I can't force you to help find Renami, but if you change you mind, you know what to do and where to go. It's your choice, Seto. Do the right thing."

And with that she walked away, leaving me alone in my office once more. The second the doors closed behind her, my shoulders slumped and I smacked both my hands against the window, making it shudder in its frame. Resting my forehead against the cool glass, I let out a low groan of frustration and ran one hand through my chestnut locks. This was just perfect. Pure fucking amazing. Is it just me or am I really easy to guilt trip into things? I mean, Mokie just puts on those irritatingly infuriatingly cute puppy dog eyes of his that I just can't say no to, Rehema just knows exactly what to say to make me practically drown in guilt and shame, and Renami… well. All she has to do is lie unconscious on her own couch and make me feel like a complete slimeball for nothing more than forcing a kiss onto her in a classroom at lunch. I still can't get over that, which is pretty stupid actually, considering how we had sex last night.

Why did we have sex last night? Why did Safiya turn up on my doorstep and make that delicious offer I would've been out of my Goddamn mind to refuse? What was the point? What did she gain from it? I know what I gained from it, but I can't understand why she did it. And why _me_, of all people? It's no secret we hate each other. Grrr… I had so many questions swimming around inside my brain; it was giving me the mother of all migraines.

I shut my eyes and exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was still in two minds about this. On the one hand, my stubborn icy CEO side was whispering in my ear, trying it's damn hardest to persuade me to leave Safiya to fend for herself. After all, she obviously got herself into this mess, so why should I be the one to pull her ass out of it? Surely her idiotic friends could do that instead of me. But then on the other hand, guilt was eating away at my insides like a parasite, thanks to fucking Rehema and her fucking guilt trip speech. What does Rehema expect me to do about it anyway? I'm no knight in shining armour, and Renami's no damsel in distress. A distressing damsel, maybe, but certainly not a damsel in distress. She's more than capable to stand up for herself. I've lost count how many times I've seen her scrapping with girls like that Tea Gardner, and I know from personal experience that Renami Safiya can handle herself in a fist fight, if her right hook is anything to go by.

_So that's it, then? You're just going to leave her to die?_

She'll be fine on her own. She doesn't need me.

_But she's not on her own, is she?_

What are you talking about?

_She was kidnapped, remember? Just think what her kidnappers would want to do with such a beautiful prisoner. They'll want to do to her just what you wanted to do to her. Only they'll take it from her by force. And you don't want that._

I growled at that thought and opened my eyes. No, I didn't want that. As much as I hated Safiya, I wouldn't wish rape upon anyone. Especially her. She didn't deserve anything like that. She deserved to be loved and cared for and… What the Hell am I ranting on about?!

_Admit it. You like the girl._

Fuck off. I don't like her. I hate her. I've never hated anyone as much as I hate her!

_Fine. Deny it all you want. But if you won't do it for her, then do it for Mokuba._

Mokuba?

_You've seen how much he likes Renami. He only met her about a month ago, and already he's completely obsessed with her. He cares for her as much as he cares for you. When he finds out about all this, he'll never forgive you._

With one hand I reached to my chest and grasped hold of a card that lay there, secured around my neck with a line of black thread. I flicked the golden clasp at the side, opening the card and revealing a picture of my little brother, taken back in the orphanage when we were playing a game of chess. This was only half a photo, and Mokuba had the other half, a picture of me in his own card pendant. I looked down and Mokuba smiled back up at me, his younger cherubic face flushed with joy and his indigo eyes bright with mirth. I smiled at the photo unconsciously before my expression furrowed back into a frown. It's true. Mokuba wouldn't forgive me if I left Renami to rot wherever she is now. Our own mother died giving birth to Mokie, so he never knew her. I hate to admit it, but Renami's the closest thing he's ever had to a mother, despite only knowing her for a short amount of time.

It didn't take me long to make up my mind after that, and before I knew it, I was sat behind the wheel of one of my many cars, driving through the gates with my trusty silver briefcase and cell phone on the seat beside me.

"I must be out of my fucking mind…"

* * *

**Chiyo: Lol, Seto talks to himself!**

**Cara: What, and you don't?**

**Chiyo: Yeah, maybe because I'm the only person worth listening to.**

**Cara: OI! What about me?!**

**Chiyo: …**

**Cara: Oh, thanks a lot. I love you so much. (sarcasm)**

**Chiyo: LOVE YOU TOO, HIKARI!! (totally missing the sarcasm)**

**Cara: Ok… please review people! Luv ya! XxX**


	21. Stepping In

**Cara: Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you so much for giving me OVER ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS!!!! I love you all!**

**Chiyo: And this is our Christmas present to you, since it was a bloody miracle we managed to finish this damn chapter today.**

**Cara: Yup. Writer's block is a pain in the ass. Please read on and review! Thankies!**

* * *

Chapter 21:

Yugi's POV:

"I knew this would happen! I fucking knew it!!" Joey roared, smashing his fist down with all his might onto the glass-topped coffee table, the resulting thunderous crash of flesh meeting and shattering glass making everyone wince, even Bakura and Marik. "I told her this would happen! I warned her to be careful! I told her! Did she fucking listen?! No!!"

He lashed out again, this time driving his fist into the wooden door, nearly punching a hole straight through it. He was furious. In fact, furious didn't seem like the right word. He was absolutely livid with rage.

"Joey! Calm down!" Duke begged, grabbing his boyfriend by the arm. Joey spun around with a growl, swinging for him blindly. Thank goodness Duke saw it coming and managed to duck in time as Joey's arm sailed harmlessly over his head. Marik, Malik and Bakura instantly got to their feet, ready to intercept Joey if he tried to punch anything or anyone else. We all knew how bad he could get whenever he was angry. And right now, he was beyond angry. We all were.

"Stop it Joey!" I shouted, rushing over to him and shoving him firmly in the chest. I'm a little shrimp compared to the rest of them, so me pushing him didn't do much damage, but at least it caught his attention and he looked down to find me glaring up at him. I don't glare at people very often, but when I do, you know you've done something either really bad or I'm really, _really_ pissed off.

"Stop it." I said again, "Losing your temper with us isn't going to help Renami. We all need to sit and calm down so we can try and figure out a way to find her. Ok?"

Joey stared at me for a few more seconds before his eyes softened and he sighed, running a hand through his messy blond bangs. Streaks of scarlet marred his knuckles, the blood trickling freely away from the fresh cuts caused by the broken glass of the coffee table. He stared at his bloody hand sadly, flexing his fingers before curling them back into fists. I thought he was going to hit something again, but from the way his head hung and his hands shook, I could see he was trying as hard as he could to stop himself breaking down. He always had to be the tough guy, the bodyguard, the protector of the gang. He couldn't let himself show any sign of weakness in front of us.

After a few silent seconds, he lifted his head and locked gazes with me.

"I'm sorry…" He murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper, "And I'm sorry about the table too, Yugi. I… I just can't…"

"It doesn't matter, Joey. Nothing matters now." I cut across him, turning away. My voice sounded as dead as I felt, even to my own ears. But I didn't care. I didn't care that Joey was bleeding. I didn't care that my Grandpa's favourite coffee table was now ruined beyond repair. I didn't care that the shop downstairs was nothing but a mess of shattered glass and overturned shelves. I just didn't care. None of us cared. All we could think about was Renami.

An arm wrapped itself around my shoulders and although the last thing I wanted right now was to be touched, I allowed it to pull me close to its owner, letting him hold me tight to his chest so I could hear the steady thumping of his heart through the material of his shirt.

"Are you alright, Aibou?" Yami asked, stroking my hair comfortingly. I sniffed sadly, trying to hold back the tears. I'd only just managed to stop crying not too long ago, after spending nearly half an hour sobbing my heart out in Malik's arms the moment he and the others came rushing through the door.

They were all here now, standing or sitting in various places around my living room, everyone looking as though the world had ended. In a way, it had, for Renami meant the world to us. I'd called them over not long after she'd been taken. I'd phoned everyone I could think of: the Police, news reporters, paramedics, everyone. But the guys had been the main priority. I needed them.

"I can't believe this happened, Yami." I said, clutching onto his shirt like a frightened child, feeling him wince slightly as I accidentally pressed against his bruised stomach, "I mean, you hear things like this happening all the time on TV, but you never for a moment think it will happen to you, or someone close to you. It doesn't seem real." But we all knew how dangerously real it was. I could see it just by looking at my friends. It was written all over their faces.

"Everything will be fine, Yugi. Don't worry." Yami said. I raised my head from his chest and stared into his deep violet eyes. Near his hairline was a stark white dressing, standing out vividly against his dark Egyptian skin. One of the paramedics had put it there after Yami had regained consciousness and she'd cleaned him up as best she could. He'd only received a small shallow wound, but there'd been so much blood that she didn't want to take any chances and bandaged him up. I was so relieved when he woke up. I wouldn't have been able to bear it if I'd lost both him and Renami in one day.

Yami stared straight back at me, his expression soft as he brushed my gold bangs back from my face tenderly.

"You don't know that." I said, averting my gaze. His hand gently cupped my chin and he brought my head back up to look at him.

"No, but I know Renami. We will find her. Whatever it takes, we will get her back. I promise." He smiled at me reassuringly. I almost believed him, but even he couldn't disguise the flickers of doubt swirling in his deep purple orbs. Before either of us could say anything else, an angry snarl came from across the room and everyone looked up to see Bakura leap to his feet, murder in his mocha eyes.

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep, Yami! Talking bullshit and filling him with false hope will achieve nothing!" He roared angrily, glaring menacingly at Yami. I looked up at my boyfriend just in time to watch his eyes narrow, practically shooting daggers at the taller whitenette. Oh God. This wasn't going to end well. Bakura and Yami are relatively civil with each other, but when they argue, boy do they argue. I can honestly say that when Yami and Bakura have a disagreement, it makes World War Two seem like a picnic in comparison.

"Just because you've already given up on Renami, doesn't mean the rest of us have, Bakura!" Yami growled. Bakura's eyes flashed dangerously and he moved faster than any of us expected him to, crossing the room in about three strides, shoving me roughly to the side and pinning Yami against the wall by the throat, his other hand pressing a knife against the soft flesh of his neck.

"Say that again, Atemu. I dare you." He hissed, his voice low and deadly, digging his blade a little harder against his skin. Where he got the knife from, I have no idea, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would be more than willing to use it. No-one questions Bakura's honour and lives to tell the tale. Trust me, we've seen first-hand just how seriously he takes his principles. Insult them, and Hell, you'll be lucky to get out of there alive.

Yami did little more than snarl at him, trying to free himself from the taller teen's grasp without decapitating himself, but his grip was too strong. I made to grab for the back of Bakura's shirt in an attempt to pull him off, but Malik got there first.

"Let him go, Bakura." The blond Egyptian warned, his hand firmly gripping the whitenette's forearm. Bakura turned his glare to him instead and bared his teeth.

"Back off, Ishtar, if you know what's good for you."

Another darker-skinned hand took hold of him, this time the fingers closing over the paler hand holding the blade to Yami's neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Marik said, "Nobody gets away with threatening my Malik-Pretty."

Bakura growled at the taller platinum blond. Marik's mauve eyes narrowed and his grasp on Bakura's hand tightened, until the white-haired boy's shoulders slumped and he looked away with a frustrated sigh, releasing my lover from his chokehold. Massaging his neck, Yami glared at him and moved to the side, wisely keeping out of Bakura's reach as he took me back in his arms.

"You'll pay for that," He hissed venomously. A smirk lit up Bakura's face as he took a step forwards again, never one for backing down from a challenge.

"Both of you, back the fuck OFF!!" I all but shouted, completely losing my temper. Everyone looked so shocked at my uncharacteristic swearing, but at that moment I just didn't give a shit. I was so pissed off it was unreal! I don't think I've ever been this angry in my entire life! "Now's not the time to start jumping at each others' throats! Fighting amongst ourselves is getting us nowhere!"

"Yeah, but neither is sitting around here doing nothing but talking about what we could be doing." Joey replied, speaking for the near enough the whole group. To be honest, I agreed with that, but I couldn't think of anything else to do that'd stop them murdering each other. In fact, I think I was seconds away from murdering them myself.

"What, and storming around punching things is?" I spat back before dropping with a heavy sigh back down onto the sofa, cradling my head in my hands. I pressed my palms so hard against my eyes that stars erupted across my vision.

The silence that fell over us was suffocating. I almost wished they'd start arguing again, rather than leaving us sat here in this unbearable hush.

"So what are we going to do, Yugi?" Malik asked softly after a few moments, breaking the silence. I lifted my head to find them all staring at me expectantly, waiting for a suggestion or plan. But that's the whole point! I didn't have one. None of us did.

"I don't know." I admitted, dropping my head back down again, "I wish I did. I wish I could think of some miraculous way to save Rennie, but I can't. I just can't! I'm so pathetic, I couldn't even stop them taking her in the first place."

"Yugi, it wasn't your fault."

"I know, I know. It just feels like it is."

I looked up at the clock hung up on the wall. Seventeen minutes past one in the afternoon. Nearly two hours since she was kidnapped. Who knows where she could be now? Was she still in the back of that van, being driven further and further away from Domino? Was she locked up in a room somewhere, waiting for those bastards to come and do with her as they pleased? Or was she lying dead in some ditch by the road, her body mutilated beyond recognition? I shuddered violently at that thought and dug my fingernails so deep into my palms that I nearly broke through the skin.

_No! Don't think things like that! We will find her. Yami promised me that we would. He promised. We will find her. We will._

"We will find her." I said aloud and looked up, my eyes hardening with such fierce determination I was so used to seeing on Renami's face whenever she squared up to someone, sticking her neck on the block for us. Why did she always do that? Why did she value our safety in such higher regard than her own? Where did her self-sacrificing nature to protect her friends come from?

_"Don't hurt them. If you want to hurt anyone, then hurt me. Whatever you want to do to them, do it to me instead. Rape me, torture me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave my friends alone!"_

That's what she'd shouted at that green-eyed bastard when he had been about to set his thugs onto me and Yami. I could still hear her voice echoing the same words again and again inside my head. And the way he'd looked at her, almost as though he knew she'd say something like that. Almost as though… he expected her to say it. She'd played right into his hands on that one, risking herself for us yet again. Sometimes I wish she'd just back down and leave us to protect ourselves, but that would never happen. She's way too damn stubborn.

"We will find her." I repeated, training my gaze on each and every single person in the room one by one. Everyone met my gaze with equally hard determination, but when I fixed my sights on Ryou, he didn't even look up. He was sat on the carpet, his back up against the wall and his knees drawn up close to his chin, his long white locks splayed everywhere, hiding his face from view. He hadn't said anything since he'd first arrived with the others, and he hadn't moved an inch from that spot. I frowned at him, concern momentarily replacing my determination.

"Ryou?" I asked quietly. Again, Ryou didn't move, the only signs of life from him the steady rising and falling of his shoulders as he breathed. "Ryou, what –?"

His head rose up slowly from where he'd buried it in his knees, his chocolate eyes blank and tired as he stared at me unblinkingly.

"What did he look like?" He asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. I blinked, momentarily thrown.

"Huh?"

"The man who kidnapped Renami. What did he look like?"

"Um… he was tall, about the same size as Marik, and he was strong, much stronger than he looked. He threw me practically the whole length across the shop without much effort. He dragged Renami away pretty easily too, by himself. His skin was darkish, and he looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He had shoulder-length messy dark brown hair and bright green eyes." I said, my lip curling as I pictured him in my mind once more, feeling his hands all over me, his lips against my skin. Watching him force a kiss on Renami, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her kicking and screaming from the shop. And I'll never forget that evil smirk on his face, or the malicious tone of his voice as he taunted our purple-haired friend. I'll never forget a monster like him, not as long as I live.

"Oh shit." Joey muttered, his entire body slumping in defeat with the sudden realisation of just how much trouble Renami Safiya was in. "That bastard from the alley. It was him. Oh God, I knew he'd be back to finish what he started. I knew it."

Ryou's expression was grim, almost as though he'd known what the kidnapper looked like before he'd even asked the question. He _had_ known. He just wanted me to confirm it.

He averted his gaze, staring down at his knees once more.

"It's all my fault." He murmured, more to himself than to us.

"Don't say that, Ryou, it wasn't –" Malik began, his voice soft and comforting, but Ryou's usually serene features scrunched up in anger and he leapt to his feet, his fists clenched, looking like the spitting image of his boyfriend a few moments ago.

"NO! You don't understand!" He shouted with such uncharacteristic rage that we all started in shock, "None of you understand! This is all my fault! Don't you fucking _see?!_ I could've stopped anything like this from happening if I had just opened my Goddamn mouth!!"

"Ryou, take it easy, man!" Joey said, approaching the furious shorter whitenette with his palms splayed in the classic 'calm down' gesture that seemed to be recognised across the globe. Sure, it was a bit hypocritical on Joey's part, since it was only a few minutes ago where _we_ were the ones trying to calm _him_ down, but we said nothing. Ryou never _ever_ loses his temper (or his sanity), so it was obvious from the way he was acting that there was yet something else we were going to find out about that was already too late for us to do anything about. Something else that I bet my life wasn't going to be good news.

"Get away from me!" Ryou hissed. Joey immediately backed off, looking more worried than ever. We all exchanged glances, simultaneously thinking the same thing:

"_What the Hell is going on here?"_

"Ryou, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Bakura demanded, his voice trembling slightly with anxiety for his lover. He reached for him, but Ryou tore his hand away, tears spilling from his deep brown eyes.

"G-get away from m-me…" He repeated, choking through his sobs. My heart ached for me to run over to him and hug him as tight as I could, but I didn't. There was something important he was hiding from us. I could tell, just by the wild look in his wide doe eyes.

"Why is this all your fault, Ryou?" I asked softly, ignoring the glare Bakura shot at me over his shoulder. Ryou gulped a few times, trying to hold back his sobs as he ran his hands through his long white tresses agitatedly.

"I-I could've prevented it… I knew this w-would happen… I knew he'd come b-back for h-her… H-he said he w-would…"

He said he would? How would _Ryou_ know what he said? He'd never met him.

…Had he?

Ryou looked up and locked his eyes on mine, tears still streaming down his face.

"Do you remember… a few weeks back? Renami had split her lip. She said she got it from falling up the stairs to her front door, didn't she?" I nodded silently and Ryou wrung his hands together nervously, not moving his gaze from mine. He didn't dare look at anyone else. "But she lied. _He_ did it. I heard him remind her about it in your kitchen on your birthday, and –"

"He was here? Two days ago, he was in my house?! With Renami?!" I shouted without meaning to. Ryou jumped violently, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. I don't think I've ever seen so much fear in his eyes. He was a nervous wreck. But then again, I could hardly blame him. Anyone in his situation right now would be feeling the same, being the bearer of more bad news to a group of boys whose tempers were already frayed beyond belief as it was. And knowing Ryou as I do, he'll no doubt be thinking that sooner or later, one of us is going to take a swing at him or pin him up against a wall by the throat. He's always been a little afraid of us, even now after knowing us for so long. Well, he's not afraid of _me_, of course, (who would be?) but the others, definitely.

"Y-yes… he was here. He c-cornered Renami in the kitchen when she went to get drinks for us. I went down to give h-her a hand, but I found him down there with her. He had a knife to her t-throat… I-I thought he was g-going to…" He paused a second to wipe his eyes with the back of his trembling hands before continuing. "H-He threatened her… he threatened her with us. He said things… some truly terrible things… I w-wish I hadn't heard them, they were so awful… I don't want to tell you…"

"Tell us, Ryou," Marik said, "We can handle it. You know we can."

"It might be important. It might help us work out where Renami's been taken." Duke cut in, giving Ryou a small comforting smile. Ryou swallowed hard and looked down at the carpet at his feet for a second, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to say. Then he brought his head back up and locked eyes with Bakura.

"I-I'll never forget it… I can remember every single word… '_I think I'll start with the one with white hair. The taller one. The one who thinks he's so commanding and untouchable. He's so arrogantly confident, I'd just love to tear him down, inch by inch, stripping away his so-called confidence until there's nothing left of him but a broken shell, weeping pathetically at my feet, pleading for his life. Hear him scream for mercy as I take him again and again, watching him bleed, tasting him in more ways than one. Can you imagine it, pretty one? Can you see it in your mind? I know I can…' _"

Bakura's lip curled in disgust at that. Everyone's lips curled in disgust at that. Even hearing it in Ryou's small quivering voice couldn't take away just how horrible and vivid the image was. It was sickening, but Ryou obviously hadn't finished yet when he once again met my gaze and my stomach twisted in dread. Oh God, there's more. And by the look on his face, I knew that there was worse to come. Much worse.

"H-he moved onto you then, Yugi… He started talking about what he was going to do to y-you… '_Ah, yes, the small one. So sweet and pure. So innocent and youthful. When you look into his eyes, don't you just melt? I'd enjoy the young one's body very much, I think. Wouldn't you agree, my pretty? Imagine his crimson blood dripping down his soft, fair porcelain skin. I'd take him from the front, just so I get the added pleasure of staring deep into those breathtaking purple eyes as I pound into his tight little ass, listening to his screams, making him moan against his will. Imagine that voice moaning… God, imagine him moan as I break his fragile, delicate virgin body. Imagine it, pretty one. Imagine what else I could do to your friends. Imagine what I could do to you right now…' _"

Before he could even finish the last sentence, a familiar pair of arms grabbed me and dragged me close, holding me to his chest so tightly that I thought he'd crushed all my ribs at once.

"No. Fucking. Way." Yami snarled, almost suffocating me in his possessive grip. His violet eyes were hard and deadly. He looked ready to kill someone. Three guesses who'd be first on _that_ list.

"He didn't…" Malik started, licking his lips nervously as he moved closer to Marik, who reached out and took his lover's hand, stroking it reassuringly. "He didn't… mention anyone else, did he?"

Ryou shook his head.

"No. He never got that far. Renami elbowed him in the stomach before he could."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, we all cracked small smiles, even Ryou. Sounds just about right: Renami kicking the living shit out of anyone or anything that crossed her. Serves the bastard right. He'll think twice about getting close to her now he knows what she's capable of. It's something to be thankful for, I suppose. For now.

"What else did he say to her?" Joey asked, eager to learn as much as he could. He's probably keeping count of everything that green-eyed monster did for later, when he's smashing his head into the pavement repeatedly with his sneakers. This was doubly personal for Joey, since Renami's kidnapper was also the sick creep who raped him in that alley a few weeks back.

"He said he was there for a reason… someone else had sent him. He'd been spying on us, following us for weeks… He called her 'Kitten', and when he did Renami went really pale. She knew who sent him too. He said her time was almost up, that her days were numbered until his return. He warned her to stay here in Domino… he said that if she ran, then her friends would suffer for it. He wanted her to run… because he wanted to make all his plans for us a reality… He wanted – "

Ryou broke off there with a yelp as a pair of pale hands grabbed onto the front of his shirt and hoisted him up into the air, his feet dangling helplessly a good few inches off the ground. It happened in a split second, so fast that if we'd have blinked, we would've missed it, but Bakura had once again let his anger get the better of him, this time taking it out on his lover.

"Why the Hell are we only finding out about this _now_, Ryou?! When it's already _too fucking late!!_ Why didn't you tell us?! Why didn't you tell _me?!_" Bakura shouted, shaking his boyfriend roughly. Ryou hung limp like a doll in his grasp, whimpering like a kicked dog. I hated seeing him like this. And Bakura. With the way the taller was glaring at his shorter look-alike, it was almost as if he hated him, and that couldn't have been further from the truth. Ryou was Bakura's heart and soul. Everyone knew that. Without Ryou, it wouldn't have taken long for Bakura to stray from the track. They were made for each other. Bakura got his sweet little angel, and Ryou got his wickedly lovable devil. They completed each other.

"Bakura, put him down!" I cried, half-commanding, half-pleading with the taller boy, but he just shook Ryou again, though not as forcefully as before.

"Why?!" He demanded.

"R-Renami… Renami made me p-promise not to t-tell anyone…" Ryou whispered, his voice so quiet that even Bakura had to lean in to hear him. Our eyes all widened as one at his words.

"So Renami _knew_ that you knew?" Yami asked, looking as surprised as the rest of us.

"N-not about what I saw in the kitchen, but she knew that I'd worked out about her split lip. I didn't know who had done it, or why, but I knew how it was caused. She asked me not to say a word about it to you guys… She made me swear… I couldn't betray her trust in me, I just couldn't…"

"But you saw what happened in the kitchen! You knew that bastard was going to come back for her! You knew she was in danger, and you still didn't say anything to us?! Are you fucking _stupid_, Ryou?!"

"That's enough Bakura." Duke interrupted as he stood up, glowering at him, "Don't say things like that. It wasn't Ryou's fault, and you know it. Now let him go before you do something you'll really regret."

Duke's words had managed to hit home, and immediately Bakura's entire body drooped with guilt as he gently set his boyfriend back on the ground. He tried to pull him into an apologetic tender embrace, but Ryou shied away from him. I think Bakura's heart broke there and then at the sight of his own lover cowering away from him in fear. I opened my mouth to say something comforting to both him and Ryou, but before I could, another voice split the air, the icy arrogant tones instantly making the room feel ten times colder than a few moments ago.

"If that's how you treat your friends, I'm glad I'm not part of your pathetic gang."

Our heads spun around so fast that our necks cricked in protest as we stared stunned at the doorway, where a new figure stood, a tall brunet with blue eyes as cold as his voice, wearing a white trench coat emblazoned with his initials and holding a metal briefcase by his side. And just the mere sight of him made the tempers shoot through the roof once more. Oh God. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse…

* * *

Seto's POV:

I swear, if looks could kill, I would've dropped dead on the spot right there and then. I've never seen so many death glares directed at me in one room, yet here I was, getting daggers shot at me from all sides. Brilliant. Well, something tells me this little meeting was going to be brief.

"Kaiba! What the Hell do you want?!" the blond Mutt growled, getting straight to the point. No formalities wasted on Seto Kaiba. Not a chance. But then again, I didn't really expect any better than the usual irritating barking from that idiot.

"A simple 'hello' would be nice." I replied smoothly, brushing some nonexistent dust from the front of my coat as I walked into the room. Or into the lion's den, depending on how you looked at it. They certainly looked ready to pounce on me and eat me alive, but I was used to that. After God knows how many run-ins with this lot before, I'm familiar with this sort of treatment. They hate me as much as I hate them, perhaps even more so.

"How long have you been here, Kaiba?" that shrimp Mutou asked, his glare not as fierce as the others. He looked more surprised than pissed off. I was surprised too. I never expected I'd be standing here, about to do what I was about to do. Fucking ironic. Kinda like sleeping with the enemy, in a way. Oh wait, I did that last night, didn't I? Shit. Better keep that sort of information to myself, or my head might end up mysteriously vanishing from my shoulders.

"Long enough. I heard everything. And I saw everything." I smirked, pointedly glancing sideways at the taller white-haired teen. Bakura, was it? I don't know. Nor do I care. But it was fun watching his eyes burn with such intense loathing at me. It's always fun.

"Look, we're not in the mood for any of your shit today, Seto, so will you just go away? Please, for once in your life, just leave us alone." One of the platinum blonds sighed. Marik or Malik? I always get those two confused. It was the shorter of the two anyway. The one with the less-wild hairstyle and a little more sanity.

"You want me to leave? So soon? Fine, but you'll regret it later when you never find out about such a tempting offer I was going to make." I responded with about as much warmth as the North Pole as I turned to go, but before I got very far, a hand latched onto my sleeve and I turned around to meet large violet eyes and a shock of ridiculous spiky tri-coloured hair.

"Wait." Mutou said, gazing up at me intently as though trying to read something from my features. Fuck me, he was short. He barely came up to my chest, and that was only because his hair added a good few more inches to his (lack of) height. "What are you talking about? What offer?"

I smirked. The little fish had taken the bait. Jackpot.

"I heard about what happened to Safiya on the news, so I came over here to see if it was true. And I got a little more information than I bargained for when secretive Snow White over there spilled his guts. It's obvious you have no idea what you're going to do to sort out this mess Safiya so artfully dropped herself into, and dragged you all into it as well." The tension in the room cranked up a few notches as they directed all their hatred at me via their glares. My smirk widened. This was just too easy. I'd only announced my presence to them less than two minutes ago and already they were practically foaming at the mouth. "You don't know Safiya as well as you think you do."

The Mutt sprung up from his seat, fists clenched. I noticed that his knuckles were grazed and stained with splodges of dry blood. The glass-topped coffee table in front of him was no longer glass-topped, considering how much shattered glass covered the floor beneath it. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

"What the fuck do _you_ know about Renami?!" He snarled, baring his teeth like the dog I'd so _affectionately_ nicknamed him. Affectionately? You must be kidding.

"More than you." I replied smugly, flashing him a shark-like grin. "I know how her family died, her mother and sister. Killed in a car crash when Renami was fourteen. I know about the scars on her back, and her healing broken bones from something that happened to her nearly seven months ago." I paused when they all exchanged confused looks and my grin spread wider across my face. "Surprised? Apparently Snow White wasn't the only one keeping secrets from you, hm?"

"Stop. Calling. Him. That." Bakura ground out through gritted teeth, his fury only succeeding in making my grin double in size.

"Scars on her back? Healing broken bones? How do you know all this?" Mutou's spiky-haired ever-so-slightly taller boyfriend demanded.

"Maybe she told me herself. Maybe we had a little heart-to-heart chat with each other. Held each other close and shared our deepest secrets and shit like that." I responded silkily. I was talking out my ass, of course, but they didn't know that. I was just going out of my way to piss them off. And boy, was it working like a charm.

A collection of disbelieving snorts and coughs echoed around the room.

"Yeah right. As if Renami would ever do that with you. Never in a million years. She hates your guts so much. She can't stand you. She wouldn't even be able to stand your touch without throwing up." The other platinum blond laughed humourlessly. I'm sure his name was Marik. Not one hundred percent certain though…

"_You wouldn't be saying that if you'd seen us together last night."_ I thought to myself, chuckling softly under my breath, unconsciously reaching up and rubbing the hickey on my neck through the material of my shirt. Thank God I didn't say it out loud. I knew it was dangerous for me to be bating this gang of enraged teenagers, but even I didn't have that big a death wish.

"Fine. You win. She didn't tell me all those things about herself. Why would she tell _me_ something she wouldn't even tell her closest friends? But I know they're true. I won't tell you how I know, or how much I know, nor will I tell you exactly how she got those injuries." _Maybe because I don't even know that one myself._ " I'll leave that to her Majesty herself when she gets back. _If_ she gets back. Which she never will if the rescue attempts are left to clueless morons like you. That's why I'm stepping in."

They all blinked simultaneously, trying to process through what I'd just said.

"You're…" The one with long black hair tied back in a ponytail and a weird dice earring in his left earlobe gawped at me, his jaw dropping almost comically, "You're… stepping in? You're going to help us find Renami?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Excellent deduction. At least now I know you're not completely brainless."

My cold sardonic remarks just flew straight over their heads. For some reason they were still struggling with the fact that _I_, Seto Kaiba, wanted to help _them_, brainless morons, to find _Renami Safiya_, infuriating nympho bitch who gives extremely good head up against my bathroom wall. But then again, I was still struggling with the fact that I'd been emotionally blackmailed into this myself, thanks to my highly-strung pregnant housekeeper, who also happened to be said infuriating nympho bitch's auntie. Christ, I can certainly pick them, can't I?

"Why would you help us?" Short-ass Mutou asked, staring at me suspiciously, wondering if I was pulling some kind of trick on them. Huh. As much as I'd love to, this time I was deadly serious. Unfortunately.

"Out of the kindness of my heart."

"Pff… What heart?" One of them grunted, but I chose to ignore them.

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you, now you can either stop with the questions and let me do whatever I have to to find your purple-haired pain in the ass friend, or I can just leave right now and let you get back to your, ehem, so-called rescue plans." I stared coldly at each of them in turn, waiting for an answer. Silence for a few seconds before…

"Alright." The Mutt groaned, defeated, "Do whatever you can."

I nodded. Once. Only once. That was all I had chance to do before the Midget struck again and grabbed my sleeve once more, dragging me with surprising speed and strength out of the room and back down the stairs from which I'd came.

"What do you think you're doing, Mutou?" I growled at him.

"Kitchen. Now." He replied without even looking back at me as we reached the bottom of the stairs and he pulled me through the wreckage that was once the Kame Game Shop. I'd been here once before. A brief visit, naturally. A small modest game store, but it did well for itself, considering. And now… well. It was going to need some money to return it to the state it used to be. Money I knew Mutou and his Grandfather didn't have.

I was yanked into the kitchen and Mutou finally released his hold of me. The first thing I noticed when I'd straightened up and brushed off my coat was a very familiar dog laid in the corner of the room, whimpering softly with her head buried in her front paws. Safiya's Border Collie.

Without hesitation, I went straight over to the dog's side and stroked her silky head sympathetically. She raised her head and stared at me sadly with those huge honey eyes of hers, inclining her head so I could scratch behind her ears. I've never seen an animal look so _lifeless_ without actually being dead. It looked as though her entire world had come crashing down around her floppy ears. Renami was her master, her closest friend who she cared for so deeply. I remembered how fiercely the black and white dog had defended her fallen master when I'd brought her back unconscious from the hospital. And I'll bet my life she defended her here just as fiercely. Obviously it hadn't been enough to save her.

"I'll bring her back." I whispered to her softly, "I promise I'll bring her back to you. Don't worry, girl. She'll be home before you know it."

The Border Collie stared deep into my eyes and whined as though she understood. I gave her one last stroke of her ears and stood up, and her head dropped back down between her front paws once more. Poor thing.

I turned back around to find Mutou looking straight at me.

"She hasn't moved from there since they took her." He said. I glanced back over my shoulder at the dog, sympathy spearing through my blackened excuse for a heart like a knife.

"I don't blame her." I said quietly, and then I met Mutou's eyes with my own cold stare. "What did you bring me down here for?"

"Why are you _really_ helping us?" Mutou pried, practically breaking his neck just to look up at me with those larger-than-physically-possible violet orbs. "I want the truth, Seto Kaiba."

I considered shooting him down with one of my usual cutting remarks, but surprisingly that wasn't what came tumbling out of my mouth.

"Mokuba. My little brother. I'm doing this for him."

If possible, those gigantic eyes of his widened even more. Fucking unbelievable, I know, but it happened.

"Over the last few weeks, Mokuba's become, shall we say, _attached_ to Renami. Our own parents died before Mokie had chance to even get to know them, and with him bonding to Renami so quickly after meeting her, he sort of adopted her as his mother. She's the first and only mother figure he's ever had. He'd never forgive me if I left her to rot wherever she is now when I could've done something about it. I'm doing this for Mokuba, and nothing or no-one else."

Mutou had listened intently through my little speech there, but when I finished his eyes lit up with a glint of something and he smiled a smile so wicked, I couldn't believe he even had the facial muscles to pull such an evil expression. Uh oh. What've I done now?

"So that's the only reason, is it? Hmm. Right. And does Mokuba know that his big brother is sleeping with his 'adoptive mother'?" Mutou said smoothly, raising his eyebrows pointedly. I physically flinched at his words as though he'd hit me (just like Rehema did in my office less than an hour ago. Damn her.)

"_What?!_ She _told_ you about that?!" I cried out in horror, my cool completely flying out the window as I barely stopped the words coming out as a high-pitched shriek. Christ, that would've been embarrassing…

Mutou laughed delightedly, clapping his hands together with glee.

"No, she didn't tell me."

"Then how did you know that we…?"

"Um, it was kinda obvious from the way you reacted. But don't worry. You're secret's safe with me." He smiled, his pale cheeks dusted pink with mirth. I groaned and slapped a hand to my forehead in frustration, mentally cursing myself. _Oh, very smooth move there, Seto, you fucking moron!_

"No. My brother does not know that I slept with Safiya. Are you happy now, Mutou Midget?" I growled at the shorter teen, wishing a hole would appear under his feet and swallow him whole so I'd never have to see or hear him ever again.

The smile left Mutou's face almost as quickly as it appeared and he looked ready to slit his wrists once again.

"No. I won't be happy until Renami is back here with us." He turned away from me and headed back towards the door of the kitchen. He glanced back at me over his shoulder. "Bring her back to us, Seto. Please." He murmured. And then he left me standing in the middle of his kitchen, my face probably as red as a fucking fire engine from embarrassment. Well. That was… unexpected, to say the least.

I looked back over at the heartbroken Border Collie in the corner and I sighed heavily, running one hand through my deep brown locks before my eyes hardened and I looked back up, staring out of the kitchen window.

"I will find her. You can be sure of that."

* * *

**Cara: Please review for me! Love ya!**


	22. Alex

**Cara: Oh, I love this chapter's title… "Alex". Short, sweet and to the point.**

**Chiyo: And kinda obvious what this chapter's about.**

**Cara: Meh. Whatever. Anyways peoples! As you've probably guessed from the, uh, not so obvious chapter title, THE TIME HAS COME AT LAST!!!**

**Chiyo: Yeah, you're finally about to meet the dreaded Alex! Oooooh!!!**

**Cara: So read on an enjoy! And remember, your reviews are the things that keep me writing and living!**

**Chiyo: Disclaimer: We don't own YuGiOh, and we don't own the lyrics to the Evanescence song "Snow White Queen", ok? So nobody sue us. Trust me, our lawyer is one seriously scary lady!**

**Cara: Oh, and by the way, I'm gonna dedicate this chapter to two of my best friends, Clare and Alexandra, because they haven't stopped pestering me about this damn chapter for the whole Christmas holidays!! So here it finally is, you impatient girls! You better bloody like it. *insert evil glare here* ;p**

* * *

Chapter 22:

Renami's POV:

'_I'm in serious trouble.'_

That was the first thought that leapt straight through my mind when I woke to find myself in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, gagged with a length of white cloth and bound to the headboard tightly with rough leather straps. Ah. Yes. Problem, I think. Just a little problem though. Nothing too extreme. Just a minor setback.

Ok. A major setback.

The biggest major setback in the entire history of major setbacks.

Damn. Guess who's up to her eyeballs in shit yet again! It could only be me, couldn't it? You don't need to phone a friend to work _that_ one out.

I started twisting and writhing on the bed, trying everything I could think of to free myself, but it just wasn't happening. Leather straps! Fucking leather straps! Who the Hell uses leather straps to tie people down with?! Obviously someone who wants to make absolutely sure their captive can't escape, no matter how much they try. And believe me, I was trying. I could barely breathe through the cloth across my mouth and my hands were practically white from my bonds being so secure that they were actually cutting off the blood flow to my fingers, but fuck me, I was trying so damn hard. _If he thinks I'm gonna just lay here like a good little girl, he's got another thing coming…_

After about ten minutes of non-stop struggling, my wrists were red raw and stinging, but I still didn't stop. Hell, I was prepared to bite my damn hands _off_ if I had to! I wasn't that desperate just yet, but I wasn't far off. Kicking and screaming was out of the question too, since my ankles were also fastened together with some more of those infernal leather straps, and the last thing I wanted to do right now was to start screaming. Let the bastard know I'm awake? No way!

Why is it always me who ends up in situations like this? Why am I always the one? God, why do you hate me so? Can't you pick on someone else for a change? Have I wronged you in another life or something? Or is this just a little pastime of yours and you really enjoy royally fucking up my life with every single chance you get? Well, guess what. I'm Atheist once more. Fuck you.

With all my vicious thrashing around on the bed like a dying fish, the silk bed sheets that covered my body started to slip, and it was then that I realised that I was completely naked underneath it. Someone had undressed me whilst I was unconscious! I remembered what I'd been wearing before: my muddied shirt, skirt and sneakers combo, and I remembered that I'd also been covered head to toe in mud and grass stains from mine and Gracie's walk in the park. Glancing down at myself again, I noticed my skin was completely clean. Not a speck of mud in sight. That meant that not only had I been stripped bare butt naked whilst I was far away in Dreamland, but I'd been _washed_ as well! My lip curled in disgust and I shuddered at the thought, instantly doubling my attempts to escape my leather restraints. _I've got to get out of here, I've got to get out of here! C'mon, leather straps, damn you! Let me go, let me go! Work with me here! Let me go, let me go, let me go, LET ME GO!!_

Time crawled by so slowly and I tired quickly. My ferocious efforts to free myself had diminished down to weak jerks of my bonds and the occasional frustrated squirm, my energy almost totally spent up. No! I can't give up! I need to get free! I need to get away before it's too late! I need to… keep struggling… I need… to escape… I need to… I need to… _sleep_…

My eyes slid shut and I let myself relax back into the comfortable mattress, letting sleep claim me once more. Just a few minutes, then I'll open my eyes and try again … I can spare a few minutes… Just a few minutes…

* * *

Something soft ran down the side of my face. I twitched at the feeling and started to surface from my peaceful dreamless slumber once more, and for a few blissful moments I completely forgot about everything and I actually felt safe and content for what was probably the first time in my life.

And then I opened my eyes. Dark green orbs stared back at me, so dark they were almost black. _I knew those eyes._

"Hello, Kitten." A familiar baritone voice issued from the mouth beneath those eyes and a hand tenderly brushed over my cheek again.

I froze, fear gripping my insides and spreading through my limbs like wildfire. My heart literally stopped for a moment before it kicked into overdrive, pounding so hard against my ribcage that I thought it was going to burst out of my chest with every beat.

"_Alex_," I breathed his name through the gag in my mouth, my amethyst eyes wide as I stared up at him in disbelief and terror. _Oh no… Oh God, no…_

Alex smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling as he stroked my face for the third time. I shuddered at the contact, but he took no notice.

"Seven months is a long time, isn't it, babe? Good to see you haven't forgotten me." He said softly, "You haven't changed a bit. You're still as beautiful as ever."

And he was still as handsome as ever. He looked just as he had done all those months ago: Tall and broad-shouldered, his figure lean yet at the same time well built and muscular. His rich chocolate skin gleamed in the little sunlight let into the room from a small window to my right and his long ebony bangs framed his striking features magnificently. He looked so achingly perfect in every way. But I could see past that. I knew that beneath his good looks and charm lurked such a powerful and uncontrollable anger, a ferocious temper and a strong determination to get anything and everything he wanted by whatever means necessary. The devil in disguise. I see through that disguise now. Only three years too late.

I hated the way he was staring at me, his dark eyes boring into mine so deep that it felt like he was gazing straight into my soul. I hated the way he was touching me, tender loving caresses to my cheek with the back of his hand. I hated the way he was talking to me, sweet and intimate, acting as though what happened seven months ago never occurred. I hadn't let go of that quite so easily. And now I'd just about gotten over my previous fear, I was mad as Hell.

Alex knelt down beside the bed, and the mattress dipped down slightly from where he rested his elbows on it. Once again he reached out to touch me, but this time I jerked my head away from him, practically tearing my spinal cord in the process. His face split into a wide grin at that and he chuckled as I glared up at him angrily, silently hating him.

"Oh, no, you haven't changed at all!" He laughed, flicking a stray lock of his hair back out of his face, "You're still my beautiful _feisty_ little Kitten, aren't you? There's that little bit of _fight_ in you I've always loved! You just wouldn't be as perfect as you are without it."

"Shut the fuck up and untie me, you son of a bitch!!" I yelled at him. Well, I tried to, but thanks to the gag still very much keeping my trap shut, it kinda came out as a series of muffled _"Mmph!"_ sounds. Not exactly easy to understand, but the meaning was obvious from the way I yanked insistently on the leather straps and struggled around on the bed, bucking and arching my back.

He raised an amused eyebrow at my determined yet completely futile efforts.

"Y'know, that isn't going to work, Kitten." He said with a smirk. I ignored him and defiantly wrenched my wrists against their bonds twice as hard, which only caused that infuriating smirk of his to widen and my already chafed wrists to sting painfully. Did I care about my wrists? Did I care about Alex? Did I care about anything right now other than getting the Hell outta here as soon as possible? Did I fuck.

My dear heartbreaker continued to watch me thrash around for a while until his grin quickly disappeared when he happened to glance up at my hands bound to the headboard. I felt something wet dribble down my arm and I looked up to see a crimson trail snaking its way out from under the leather. Blood. I'd been struggling so violently that I'd actually scraped away the layers of skin from my wrists.

Alex stood up immediately.

"Stop it." He ordered, deadly serious. I ignored him again. This was a dangerous game for me to be playing. He always hated it when I disobeyed him. So I was bleeding a little. So what? Something tells me I'll be bleeding a whole lot more during my stay here.

"Stop moving, Renami!" Ooh, using my first name now? Not a good sign. I took no notice once more and kept struggling. More blood trickled down my skin from both wrists now, staining my arms with vivid scarlet tracks. It hurt like a bitch, but I didn't let that stop me.

Suddenly he was on top of me, pressing down on me with all his weight as his hand grabbed my jaw in a bruising vice-like grip, holding me steady. His face was so close to mine I could actually see my reflection in the depths of his dark eyes. And Christ, did I look scared.

I tried to squirm again but he stopped me just by tightening his already firm grasp on my face.

"Shh, shh, shh." He hushed me when I let out a small whimper of pain, but he didn't slacken his grip. It hurt more than I'd expected it to, his fingers digging into my flesh, pressing hard against my jawbone, but at least that's all he was doing. I'd braced myself for something worse, like his hands wrapping around my throat or a punch or two. Looking into his eyes, I could see this was just the beginning._ 'You know I can do worse.'_ Those twin pools of green warned. Oh, I knew all right. I knew too damn well.

Alex met my gaze and I continued to stare up at him, my expression somehow both fearful and angry at the same time. He stared straight on back before his smile reappeared and he thankfully released my face from his death grip. No doubt there was a lovely set of bruises forming all around my jawline now. Bastard.

His hand slid around the back of my neck and he gently raised my head a little, making me unwillingly bare my throat to him. Slowly, he brought his head down beside mine and placed soft kisses to my neck and collarbone, his lips brushing delicately against my tanned skin.

"You know I hate seeing you hurt yourself, my precious Kitten." He murmured into my throat, ignoring the shudders that shook through my body from the contact of his mouth meeting my neck.

'_Get off me! Get your filthy mouth off me! Stop touching me! Leave me alone! Let me go!' _I screamed inside my head, knowing that the gag would've prevented me screaming it aloud. _'I hate you! I hate you! Leave me alone! Take me home! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!'_

He kissed his way along the length of my neck and moved his hands up to my face, one smoothing stray strands of my lavender hair back out of my eyes and the other lightly trailing up my bound arms, ever so slightly grazing across my bloodstained flesh with his fingernails. My skin erupted with goosebumps and I shivered again, wishing there was someway I could stop him _touching_ me. Would I be able to headbutt him from here? Ram my knee between his legs? Maybe combine the two? I didn't know, but it was worth a try.

Slyly, I twisted my legs a little beneath him, getting ready to give him a solid kick below the belt, but before I could he moved back and got off me and the bed entirely. _Huh?_ As glad as I was that he'd removed his body from mine, I couldn't help but wonder why. _What was he up to…?_

And then I felt my wrists drop down from the headboard, the previous leather straps that held them there now lying on the pillow above my head, sliced perfectly in two. I blinked, momentarily thrown until I caught the sight of the sudden silver gleam of a switchblade in his hand as he gave me a wide grin and grasped hold of my ankles, cutting through the bonds that secured them together. When he'd pulled the knife out, I didn't care, because now all that mattered was that _I was no longer tied down!_

I shot up quickly, tearing the gag from my mouth as I scrambled out of the opposite side of the bed, taking the silk bedcover with me and wrapping it around my naked frame tightly. I was shaking all over, from both fury and fear, adrenaline starting to pulse through my veins. Fight or flight. Neither one of those options appealed to me very much right now, but sooner or later I knew I'd have to pick one of them. Hopefully later rather than sooner. My jaw ached, my wrists stung and my head was throbbing painfully, yet I wouldn't let that stop me from glaring daggers at my ex-boyfriend with my chin held high and my fists clenched as I demanded the most clichéd question heard from hostages all over the globe:

"What do you want from me?"

Alex paused halfway through sliding the switchblade back into his jeans pocket and looked up at me in confusion before he threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls of the small room of my prison. I barely stopped myself from shuddering again at the chilling noise.

"What do I want from you?" He choked out between laughs, "What do I want from you? Hahahaha! Oh, Kitten, if only you _knew_…"

Uh oh. That didn't sound good at all. He moved calmly around the bed, casually brushing his hand along the rich mahogany bedposts as he walked towards me, his green eyes shining brightly in the sunlight. My heart practically shot up into my throat and I started backing off, trying to keep as much distance between us as I possibly could. I didn't like that look in his eyes… I'm not going to lie here: I was shit scared out of my wits. Alex grinned. He knew what he was doing. He was backing me up into a corner. _And I was letting him._

"I want you, baby," he said, never taking his eyes off mine, "I want you. I want to love you again, and I want you to love me back. I want my beautiful purple-haired, purple-eyed Goddess back in her rightful place here in my arms. I want to show you how much I love you, how much I've missed you, how painful the months without you have been. I want things back to how they used to be."

"What? You mean _before_, or _after_ you started using me as your own personal punchbag?" I spat angrily, clenching my hold on the bedcovers wrapped around me so hard that my knuckles turned white. I half-expected him to either laugh or shout, or maybe even pounce on me and take me down and make me _stay down_ for a good few hours for giving him such a sardonic reply, but to my surprise, he didn't. He stopped smiling and he broke eye contact with me, choosing instead to stare guiltily down at the carpet by my feet, his head hanging and his bangs cascading forwards to shadow his face. I gawped at him, confused. _What the –?_

"Renami, I… I've done so many things I'm not proud of, and I know I've hurt you. In more ways than one." He spoke quietly to the floor and then looked back up at me, the expression on his face completely sincere. "I've changed. I swear I've changed! I never wanted to hurt you, Kitten. I couldn't control myself. Couldn't control my temper. I love you, and I never meant to hurt you like I did. But now I've changed. I'm different now. I'm better! I'm cured! You're back here with me and we can start over again! Let me prove it to you, Renami. I'm a new man. I'm the man you fell in love with, Kitten. Give me another chance. Give us another chance to be together again. I'm begging you, Renami, my sweet baby girl. 'Together forever', remember? Please, give me this one last chance. Please."

I… I didn't know what to say. His words, his desperate pleading words, were swimming around inside my head, repeating over and over again in my mind. The thought of going back to how we used to be when we first met, completely infatuated with each other, madly in love with not a single care in the world, oh, that was such a beautiful thought. To love and be loved again… No secrets, no lies, no pain…

But that's just it. Secrets, lies, pain. I couldn't forget them. I couldn't forget everything he's done to me, everything he's said to me, every time he lost his temper and hurt me in so many different ways. I'll never forget it. And I'll never forgive him for it either. If I could rewind time and erase everything that went wrong between us, I would, but I can't. He was making promises to me, but that's all they were. Promises. Easily broken. Like bones. Like my bones. And my heart.

"The man I fell in love with died a long time ago, Alex." I whispered, not wanting to meet his gaze but at the same time finding myself unable to look away, "He's been dead for so long, I've forgotten who he was. Nothing you could say or do could bring him back, no matter how many promises you make, or try and convince me how much you've changed. You haven't changed at all! Look what you've done! You've hurt me and you've hurt my friends! You sent that bastard Scott as your little messenger boy and he threatened my friends! He hurt them! He raped my best friend! _Under your orders!_ And all because you just can't let go of the past. I've let go. I let go seven months ago! Why can't you? You're dead to me!"

I was shouting at him now, my rage so overwhelming that all I could see was red. I wasn't even scared anymore. I was too angry to be scared.

Alex stood, frozen in shock a few feet away from me. He hadn't expected that. Neither had I, to be honest, but I was so sick of his Happy Ending fairytale bullshit. I was so sick of him! How dare he kidnap me?! How dare he have the nerve to beg me to love him after all he's done to me?! How dare he?! Right now, the only thing I wanted to do was swing for his pretty face and be the one to knock _him_ down on _his_ back for a change.

His face twisted in anger, almost as though he'd heard that treacherous thought as it passed through my mind. Instantly he was in front of me, closing the gap between us in two strides and seizing hold of me by the wrists, his hands clenched agonizingly tight against the fresh bloodied scrapes from my struggle with the leather straps. I gave a strangled gasp at the pain and gritted my teeth to stop any more whimpering weak noises coming from my mouth as he dug his fingernails deep into the wounds. _It hurt so much! _I knew he wanted me to cry out, to scream, to show him some sign that he had complete control over me, but I wouldn't let myself give him the satisfaction. I just clamped my bottom lip hard between my teeth and bowed my head so my face was hidden by a curtain of pale lavender. _Don't give in, Rennie. Don't let him manipulate you any more. This ends here. Show him you aren't afraid. Show him you're a different person from the scared little girl he knew seven months ago. He says he's changed? Well, so have you. Now show him just how much._

"_Liar_." He hissed in my face, yanking me as close to him as he possibly could. "_Liar_. Don't _lie_ to me, Renami. I _hate_ it when you lie. Remember the last time you lied to me? I thought you would've learnt from that. Don't lie to me, I can read you like a book."

Slowly I brought my gaze back up to meet his, a wry smile masking my pained grimace. He still hadn't removed his nails from my wrists. If anything, he dug them in deeper.

"I'm done lying, Alex. I'm through with the lies. You're calling me a liar? Look at you. Look at what you're doing. You've changed, have you? That's the lie. Look at your hands if you don't believe me. See what they're stained with? Blood. My blood. Just like old times, eh?" I chuckled dryly, doing my best to ignore the stabbing pains from his ten crescent moon blades at the ends of his fingers, "Face it, Alex. You haven't changed. You're still the same sadistic twisted psychopath you always were. And y'know what? I'm glad. Because it just makes it so much _easier_ for me to hate you. And right now, I've never hated you more."

His expression was emotionlessly blank as he stared at me. I glared defiantly back, mentally and physically steeling myself for the fist that was no doubt about to swing in my direction.

But surprisingly, that wasn't what happened. Instead, Alex shoved me away from me with a look of disgust on his face, and I nearly fell sprawling backwards from the force. Thankfully I'd managed to seize hold of the corner of a dressing table, complete with mirror and more personal things scattered on the surface, like various make-up products and jewellery. A few bottles of perfume nearly rolled off onto the floor when I collided with it, but I managed to grab them and set them straight. I caught sight of one of them. _Obsession_, it was called. Oh, the irony.

I straightened up and readjusted my bedsheet clothing, making sure I was still covered in all the right places before I glared fiercely back up at Alex. He was returning the favour, disdain written all over his handsome face.

Not wanting to be stuck in a battle of the glares, I growled and averted my gaze, staring over at a floor length mirror propped up against the wall a little away from me.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked, breaking the silence after a few seconds. Alex snorted, either in amusement or annoyance, maybe both, and turned his back on me. He walked back around the bed and approached a chair not far from it. Obviously he'd been sat there before he'd woke me up. Had he been watching me in my sleep or something? Creep.

There was something white draped over the back of said chair. I hadn't noticed it until he reached out and picked it up, smoothed out some creases and turned back to me. He tossed it across the room with the same look of amused annoyance, or annoyed amusement. I caught it deftly, curiosity sparking as I unfolded the white material in my arms. And when I realised what it was, my anger level just about shot through the roof. _No way. No freaking way._

"Oh no. I don't think so." I growled, holding it out at arms length with a disgusted look of my own. Alex's smirk returned faster than humanly possible. It was really scary how his mood had changed so swiftly.

He made his way back towards me.

"Yes, I think so." He grinned.

"Over my dead body." I spat back. He stopped in front of me, chuckling deeply.

"It's either _this_…" He ran a hand over the white material in my arms, then he leaned forwards to whisper in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin, "…Or_ nothing at all_."

He pulled back with a leer that made my skin crawl. My lip curled as I narrowed my eyes at him and he let out a sharp laugh before moving to get past me. His hand trailed behind him a little, skimming over my barely covered breasts and along my bare collarbone. I jerked away from him with a warning snarl, but he just laughed again and walked away, heading through a door behind me. I thought he'd finally fucked off and left me alone, but I heard him open a cupboard and then the sound of him running water from a tap followed. Apparently my prison had an ensuite bathroom.

I looked down at the bundle of white I was holding and growled, knowing that I had no choice on this one. Well, I had a choice: _"It's either this… or nothing at all." _Huh. Some choice. A no-brainer, really.

Unfolding the material, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure a _certain someone_ wasn't watching and since he wasn't, I let my bedcover robe drop to the floor and I stepped into the folds of white instead, hurriedly pulling it up my body to cover my nakedness. When most of my body was sufficiently hidden, I moved over to the floor length mirror and observed my reflection.

I couldn't deny it. The dress was gorgeous by all accounts. White as snow, with a corseted top half and about three layers of long, semi-transparent floaty material to make the skirt which came down just past my knees at the front and then angled down a bit longer at the back. I looked at myself in the mirror. It was a beautiful dress, and it made me look beautiful too. It fitted my slim form perfectly. Well, it would, once I laced up the corset at the back.

But before I could, I felt a warm hand press against the small of my back and I jerked in surprise. Alex's grinning face appeared in the mirror beside mine and I glared at his reflection, my eyes burning with hatred.

His skilled fingers travelled delicately up my spine, tracing over all the fading pink scars that littered the flesh beneath his touch. I shuddered again, shutting my eyes and keeping them shut as he made his way from the base of my spine to the top, sweeping my long hair over one shoulder and planting a kiss to my shoulder blade. My eyes flew open. _He kissed my shoulder. Just like Seto Kaiba did._

"Beautiful," Alex murmured approvingly as he moved his hands and started lacing up the corset for me, taking his time, savouring the moment. I couldn't help thinking that he much sooner rip the dress straight off me than fasten me into it, but I banished that thought away as quickly as I could. I didn't need anything like that inside my head right now.

"You're so beautiful, Kitten. Everything about you is just so damn beautiful."

"Are my scars beautiful too, Alex? Are my bruises beautiful? Are my bones beautiful when they're broken? Am I fucking beautiful when I'm lying unconscious in a bloody mess at your feet?" I demanded angrily, seething with a rage so fierce that practically my entire body was shaking. Alex didn't answer, not meeting my gaze in the mirror as he finished off lacing up my corset. Now it was fastened, I looked again at my reflection, taking in how the white material fitted snugly to me, accentuating my feminine curves amazingly. I noticed how my chest looked fuller than ever, heaving up and down in such a way that I could feel Alex's gaze on me in the mirror, practically undressing me with his eyes. My lip curled in disgust. _Take your Goddamn eyes off me, you sick perverted bastard!_

Alex muttered _"Beautiful,"_ again under his breath and reached around to grasp my wrists, this time gently. Despite trying so hard, I couldn't stop myself from flinching when he touched my bloodied wrists.

"Shh, shh, shh," He said, just like he had done when he'd had hold of my jaw on the bed. For once, I actually did as he said and kept quiet, but out of curiosity, not because he wanted me to. He turned me around and raised my wrists up to his eyelevel, examining them before letting go of one and reaching over to the dressing table, picking up a damp flannel that hadn't been there before and started dabbing tenderly at my wounds, wiping away the drying blood from my caramel skin. No doubt the flannel is what he went into the bathroom for. _Aww, how sweet._ Cleaning up the mess. That's a first for him. Usually it's _me_ cleaning up after him. Cleaning up the _blood_, that is.

I took this moment to scan around my surroundings, taking a good look at my new home. My new prison.

I was in a bedroom. That much I'd already figured out from the instant I woke up. There was the bed, a king-sized four-poster of rich mahogany would and deep purple silk sheets (which were now lying in a heap by my ankles). The walls and carpet were the same deep purple, and all the scattered pieces of furniture around the room were made of mahogany wood like the bed. The room itself was bigger than I'd first expected, and someone had gone well out of their way to make sure it had a really homey feel. And to be honest, it did feel quite homey to me. I don't know why, but the whole space had a sort of majestic elegance to it that I couldn't help liking, despite being held here against my will. A room fit for a queen, but a prison is a prison, no matter how pretty it looks and how comfortable you feel in it.

There was one window, thick glass paned with a metal bar grille running across it. There's no way I'd ever escape through there. Not without somehow smashing my way through the glass, ripping the bars apart with my bare hands and plummeting down to meet my death on the ground below. Knowing Alex as well as I do, he's probably got me locked up on the top floor of some abandoned building with a lovely ten-storey drop waiting for me if I ever tried to leap for freedom through a window. Yeah, I don't really want to end up as nothing more than a smeared mess on the pavement, thank you, so maybe we should try rethinking our exit plan, shall we?

Two doors. One, I knew, led to the ensuite bathroom, and the other was the only way outta this place. My way outta here! But I couldn't just make a break for it right now. Alex would pounce on me before I even made it past the bed. And I'll bet he locked the damn thing behind him when he came in here. _Shit._ Maybe I'll wait a little. Bide my time, and then soon enough, I'll make my escape and get the Hell away from here. Probably pause just to give Alex and Scott a well-deserved kick in the nuts on my way out, but there wouldn't be anything on this entire planet that could stop me.

Alex stopped dabbing at my wrists and let go, bringing me back from my escape plans to watch him warily as he walked over to the bed again, pulled open the top drawer of the bedside cabinet with a large jug of water and an empty glass on top of it and pulled out a rolled up length of bandage. He came back to me and started wrapping up my wrists separately in the white cloth.

"What's the point in that?!" I hissed before I could stop myself and wrenched my hands away from him, the bandage he'd been applying to my left wrist unravelling, "Why _bother_ bandaging me up when we both know you're just gonna come back later and make me bleed again?!"

He raised his head a fixed his dark green eyes on me, his expression unreadable.

"I told you. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"_Bullshit!_" I shouted at him, my rage soaring to new heights, "That's fucking bullshit! You _love_ seeing me hurt, Alex. You _love_ watching me bleed. It's like a fucking turn-on for you!"

Anger washed over his features once more and he drew himself up to full height, towering a good six or seven inches taller than me. He seized my left wrist and yanked it back towards him, rewrapping my bandage.

"You don't know shit, Renami. You don't know shit about me." He snarled savagely, tying the knot of the bandage tighter than was really necessary.

"You don't know shit about me, either!" I hissed back. He let go of me and I hastily stepped away, putting a bit of distance between us in case he blew his top and went for me, fists first.

Alex flashed me a horrible twisted grin and clenched his fists. I took another step back.

"That's where you're wrong, Kitten. I know you better than I know myself. I know you better than _you_ know yourself." He said with a malicious smirk that just about made my blood turn to ice in my veins. Shit, I'd forgotten just how much he could scare me with just one knowing grin, or threats thinly disguised as harmless little comments. My heart was thumping so loudly in my ribcage, I was sure he could hear it.

"Like Hell, you do." I responded, growling at him, using my anger as a cover-up to hide how badly I was panicking right now. His grin widened as he stared down at me. I wanted to punch his bastard face, seize a handful of his long black hair and drag his forehead down to meet solidly with my kneecap. _I'll wipe that smirk off your face, Sunshine._

"Keep telling yourself that, darling." Alex laughed, starting to circle round me like a hungry lion circling its prey. I let my head follow him around, not wanting to let him out of my sight for even a second. This seemed to amuse him.

"Oh, you look so worried, Kitten. What's the matter? Surely you're not _afraid_ of me, are you?" He teased in a singsong voice, succeeding in cranking my anger level up a few notches and thoroughly pissing me off, "Are you scared because you don't know what I'm going to do? Are you scared because I'm so _unpredictable?_ Are you scared because you can't see inside my mind, and I already know yours inside out?"

"Maybe you're the one who should be scared, Alex. Like you said, seven months is a long time. And I've changed so much. Maybe you should start thinking how I might end up being more _unpredictable_ than you ever could be? Trust me, Alex. You might think you know me, but you have _no idea_." I replied with a smirk of my own, proud that I'd managed to stop my voice from breaking halfway through.

Alex threw his head back and laughed loudly. Not the exact reaction I'd wanted, but no doubt my little speech will be stuck in his head for a long time, niggling in the back of his mind. I certainly hope so.

"You're certainly right on one point there, Kitten." He panted out between laughs, still continuing to circle round me, "You have changed. No way would you be standing up to me like you are now seven months ago. Sure, you would've bitched and fought with me for hours on end, but you used to shut up the moment I had to _teach you a lesson_, didn't you? Have you finally grown yourself a spine, baby? I'm impressed. In fact, I'm more than impressed. I'm proud. I'm proud of you, my love! You're going to make things much more _interesting_ around here…"

He broke off there with another loud echoing laugh and then started singing the lyrics to a song in his deep baritone voice.

"_You belong to me, my Snow White Queen,_

_There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over,_

_Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me,_

_Don't scream any more my love 'cause all I want is you_."

"I don't belong to _anyone!_" I hissed, my hands clenching and unclenching in agitation by my sides, "Least of all, _you!_"

"Just accept it, babe. You're mine now. I've got you back here with me, and I'm never gonna let you go ever again. You're mine." He chuckled, thankfully stopping his incessant circling and instead making his way to the door, walking backwards, his eyes never leaving mine.

When he got to the door, he smirked as he reached behind him and grasped the handle.

"And by the way," he said, as though he'd suddenly just remembered something he'd forgotten to tell me earlier, "I am _so_ looking forward to taking you, Kitten. To make you completely my own. D'you know how long I've been waiting to claim you, baby? Too long. But now you're back with me, and I can't _wait_ to have that gorgeous body of yours writhing in pleasure beneath me. I will take your virginity, Renami. And when I do, it will be _magnificent_."

He licked his lips at the thought and I recoiled in disgust, but inside my head I was smirking to myself. _Take my virginity, Alex? Aw, too bad. Looks like you're a little too late. Seto Kaiba got there first. Ain't that a darn shame?_

"Don't get your hopes up, Alex." I retorted, moving myself so there was the bed between me and him, just in case he snapped and his ferocious temper got the better of him, and he decided it might be a good idea to redecorate the room a lovely shade of blood red, "I'll be long gone before that can happen. I'm gonna get out of here, Alex, and there isn't anything you can do to stop me."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He spoke, his voice low and deadly. His eyes blazed with barely suppressed anger that I could see even from the other side of the room. _His mood had changed again! _"Don't get any ideas about escaping, Kitten, because you can't. Don't even try. Because if I catch you, _I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget_. You're not a stupid girl, Renami, so don't make stupid choices."

He lifted his arm and pointed up at the ceiling, at the corner to his right. I looked up also and when I saw what he was pointing at, I felt angrier than ever.

"See this?" He said, "This is a camera, babe. Don't try anything, because I'll be watching. I'll always be watching you, Kitten. So you just stay in here like a good little girl and do as you're told. Trust me, it'll be easier for both of us if you just behave how I want you to, ok?"

"Fuck yourself!" Was my only comment to that pile of dog shit. Did he really expect me to just sit around and act like his pretty little pet for the rest of my life? Oh no, I don't think so. I'm nobody's bitch, especially not _his!_

Alex opened the door with a grave look on his face.

"Seriously, Renami. Don't get on the wrong side of me. I don't want to hurt you, baby." He sighed and ran his hand through his ebony bangs, "I've got to go now, Kitten. I'll be back soon. Be a good girl. Remember, _I'll be watching_. I love you."

And with that, he walked out and shut and locked the door behind him. And not a second too soon, because at that very moment I grabbed the jug of water from the bedside table and hurled it with all my might at the door.

"I HATE YOU!!!" I screamed as the glass exploded everywhere when it met with solid wood. Water splattered the walls and floor, seeping into the carpet. I breathed deeply, my chest rising and falling rapidly and my hands shaking as I tried to control my anger, but it was just physically impossible. My heart was racing in my chest, hammering loudly against my ribcage as adrenaline rushed through my limbs. I felt like killing someone. I felt like killing him. I _wanted_ to kill him.

I dropped heavily to my knees, my eyes still trained on the door, waiting for him to come back in. But he didn't.

After a few moments when I was completely sure he'd gone, I stood up and sat down heavily on the end of the bed, holding my head in my hands. _Bastard! Bastard, bastard, bastard! I hate him!_

I was trying so hard to hold back the tears that had suddenly sprung up in my eyes. I wiped them away fiercely with the backs of my hands before I raised my gaze to the ceiling and spotted the camera mounted in the corner, a telltale red light winking at me smugly. _Bastard_.

Scowling, I stuck my middle finger up at the camera. _Yes, I know you're there, dickhead. I know you're watching me._

The broken glass by the door glinted in the light cast into the room from the window, and that's when an especially long shard of glass caught my eye and a plan shot through my mind like a bullet.

I bowed my head so my lavender hair fell to hide my growing smirk from the camera.

"C'mon, Alex. I thought you said you knew me." I chuckled to myself, imagining the look on my dear beloved heartbreaker's face when he caught the full blast of Renami Safiya Escape Plan Numero Uno.

"Since when have I ever done as I'm told?"

* * *

**Chiyo: Uh oh, our girl has a plan!!**

**Cara: C'mon, Chiyo. Of course she's got a plan. She just wouldn't be Renami if she didn't have a plan! :D**

**Chiyo: Good point.**

**Cara: Thank you. Ok, you see that little button right there? The one with the word 'review' on it? Click it for me. Go on, click it. Please! Luv yas!**


	23. Opening the Wounds

**Cara: Heya everyone! Thanks a lot for all your amazing reviews! They're what keep me writing! :D**

**Chiyo: Pity they couldn't make you write a little quicker…**

**Cara: Why? What do you mean?**

**Chiyo: Well, it's been, what? Nearly TWO WEEKS since you updated?**

**Cara: (winces) I know! I know! I've been busy… mock GCSEs coming up soon, y'know?**

**Chiyo: (rolls eyes) Any excuse. Ok, onwards folks! I'm gonna give you a little warning about this here chapter, yeah? This chapter contains a bit of yaoi (for any of you who don't understand what that is, it's boy on boy.) Well, forced yaoi, really. Oh, and there will be blood. Quite a bit of blood. Oh yeah, and we're gonna throw another OC in here too. Pay attention, coz he's gonna play a key part in chapters to come…**

**Cara: Alright then! Read on and review for me peoples! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 23

Scott's POV:

Pressing my lips hard against his, I forced my tongue deep into his mouth, not caring that I was the one doing all the work. It didn't bother me. It never does. I'm all about selfish pleasure. If they don't get anything out of it, so what? All that matters to me is that I get off in whatever way I want to.

I had a handful of his hair twisted in my grip painfully tight as I ravaged his mouth, biting at his bottom lip so hard I drew blood. He whimpered and I grinned, his pathetic noises of pain making me harder than I ever thought possible.

I ground my hips against his with a deep chuckle and he just about screamed into my mouth. Oh God, I'll never get tired of this. I find it so amusing how he acts so damn virginal even after God knows how many times I've ridden him. Sweet naïve little boy.

"You feel that, Maxie?" I purred, grinding against him again, holding him tighter as he tried feebly to pull away from me. We both knew he didn't have a chance in Hell of escaping me, but it was cute how he still thought there might be that slim possibility that he could. Surely he would've learnt by now. I'm like a dog with a bone. Once I get hold of it, I ain't ever letting it go. Until it outlives its usefulness, of course.

"You feel that? Can you feel just what you've done to me, Maxie? Feel it? Don't worry if you can't. You will soon enough."

Maxie's adorable hazel bambi eyes widened with apprehension and I could feel him shaking on my lap. I loved watching all that fear swimming around in his eyes. It's like a drug to me.

I smirked at my captive prey and trailed one hand down his skinny bruised bare chest, and palmed at the crotch of his jeans, making him cry out and squirm, unwillingly causing friction against my arousal that made me groan.

"D-d-don't…" He pleaded desperately as I unzipped his pants and slid my hand inside, grasping his limp member, "P-please… D-d-don't…"

I laughed loudly, stroking his tear-stained face with my free hand as I teased him to hardness with long firm strokes with the other.

"Oh, don't act like that, Maxie. You'll hurt my feelings. I know you love it as much as I do, so just shut up and enjoy it while it lasts. Or would you rather I just fuck you right here right now? Think of this as a little treat for all your good services to me. Sit back, relax, and let me get you off, ok?" I said it sweetly enough, but I made sure he understood the warning by squeezing him hard in my grip. He yelped and clutched onto my shoulders with his pale hands, bowing his head so his longish golden-brown locks fell to hide most of his pretty face. I growled and dragged his bangs back from his eyes.

"Look at me. Look at me! I want to look into your eyes as I make you come." I ordered and Maxie reluctantly fixed his pained gaze on mine. I smiled at him, running my tongue over my teeth and lips as my hand sped up, pumping him harder. As much as my gorgeous little prisoner hated me and hated me doing things like this to him, he couldn't stop himself giving soft breathy moans as I brought him closer and closer to climax.

"That's it, baby." I murmured hungrily, watching him intently, "That's it, Maxie. Just let go. Come for me. Be a good boy and come for me."

He shook his head slightly and tried squeezing his eyes shut, but every time he did I just tightened my hold on his length so he had no choice but to stare up at me. I could see just how much it repulsed him that I was the one giving him pleasure. I know I repulsed him. And Christ, I loved it so much.

And just as sweet little Maxie was literally seconds away from releasing his pleasure all over my fingers, the door to the living room banged open and a familiar black-haired, green-eyed guy walked in, looking somehow upset and royally pissed at the same time.

I looked up over Maxie's head and flashed a grin at the newcomer, stopping my movements on Maxie's arousal but not removing my hand from down his pants.

"So. How'd it go?" I asked. Alex caught sight of me and my pet on the sofa and shook his head, brushing his ebony locks back out of his eyes. He frowned a little when he noticed the tear tracks running down Maxie's face and my hand still gripping him inside his trousers, but he knew not to say anything. It's my house, isn't it? I can do what I want, where I want and to who I want in this house. He might not like it, but he's learned to live with it.

He didn't answer my question. He didn't have to. The look on his face said it all.

"Ouch. That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea." He sighed as he walked past the sofa and sat down on a chair in the corner, facing a small TV screen propped up on the desk. On the monitor I could see a live broadcast of his pretty squeeze sat on the edge of her bed, sticking her middle finger up at the camera. Well, I say 'squeeze' in the broadest sense of the word. I'd been occasionally glancing over at the screen for the past twenty minutes, and from all the yelling and fighting she'd been doing, it was pretty obvious that she wasn't exactly happy with the idea of being forced back into a romantic relationship with her ex. Huh. What a pain in the ass bitch. She's been nothing but a pain in the ass bitch from the first moment we had the misfortune of meeting. God, I hate her so much.

Alex stared at the screen unblinkingly, almost as though he was trying to read her mind through the video feed. I rolled my eyes at his back and returned my attention to Maxie on my knees. He was panting heavily, his face flushed red with arousal, and I chuckled and patted him on the top of his toffee coloured head, ruffling his unruly locks almost affectionately.

"So close, and yet so far. Ain't life a bitch?" I whispered in his ear, my hand still wrapped tightly around his still hard cock. He did little more than whimper again and squeezed a few more tears from his eyes. I leaned in and licked them away before they had chance to dribble down his cheeks.

"What am I going to do?" Alex groaned suddenly, tearing his gaze away from the screen and dropping his head in his hands, "What can I do? I've messed up big time, Scott. She hates me. She's never gonna forgive me. What am I going to do?"

I slouched back on the sofa, still holding Maxie captive against me.

"Well, if I were you, I would've cut her pretty head off years ago." I smirked. Alex lifted his head and glared at me, his dark green eyes narrowing into slits.

"Oh, great. That's an excellent idea. Chop off her head. Genius. Pure fucking genius. Now why didn't _I_ think of that?" He retorted sardonically. I threw my head back and laughed loudly.

"Because, Sugar, you seem to lack my wonderfully warped view of the world and its morals." I grinned, baring my teeth at him. He snorted and turned back to the screen.

"And you wonder why people call you a psychopath." He muttered, shaking his head. "You say that like it's a bad thing." I chuckled at the taller man as I seized Maxie by the chin, bringing his soft lips down to meet mine once more, only this time it was a brief chaste kiss, no tongues or teeth. My sweet pet gave a strangled yelp of surprise at this and his large eyes widened. The skin around his left eye was blackened and puffy from a few days ago where he tried to deny me his delicious body. Tried. He hadn't succeeded. He never does.

I broke the kiss and smirked at his scared expression, then I looked back up at Alex to find him already staring straight back at me. He was wearing that strange unreadable look he always wore when watching me toy with my pets. I don't know if he was jealous of my power over them, or if he felt sorry for the poor unfortunate bastards I drive within an inch of their sanity before disposing of them in my usual way. Maybe he's just surprised that I've kept Maxie for so long. Three months that beautiful boy's been here with me. Usually my pets only last about two or three weeks at the most.

"But just remember, Alex. The people who call me a psychopath once don't generally live long enough to call me one a second time. You're the only exception to that. The only reason why I haven't killed you is because: One, you helped me out a while back, and I'm indebted to you in that sense, and two, you're just too damn hot. It'd be such a waste if I got rid of that fine ass of yours. That fine ass one day I hope to ride."

"In your dreams." Alex replied coolly, raising one eyebrow at me. He probably thought I was joking. I wasn't.

"Oh, trust me, Sugar, we have _so much fun_ in my dreams," I said, licking my lips and leaning in to gently nibble at Maxie's earlobe, keeping my gaze fixed solidly on Alex, "And sooner or later, I'm gonna want some payment for all the shit I've done for you. When the time comes, you know what I want."

His lip curled slightly and his dark eyes narrowed, darting from me to Maxie.

"Forget it. I've no desire to end up like one of your battered sex slaves. And besides, I'm not gay. I don't like boys." He cast his disapproving gaze down at my current battered sex slave anchored in my arms, "Especially not boys as young as fourteen who can't fight back, no matter how much they want to."

"Aw, so my taste in young boys is frowned upon by modern society. So what?" I laughed, starting up where I left off previously, my hand moving up and down on Maxie's length again. Maxie started whimpering and moaning, and I said nothing, smiling sweetly at Alex as I spread pre-cum over the head of my prisoner's arousal with my thumb. Alex wrinkled his nose in repulsion.

"You're sick."

I acknowledged the compliment with a nod of my head and pulled my hand out of Maxie's trousers, bringing my thumb to my lips and licking it clean, just to see the look of disgust on Alex's face double.

"Oh, you love it really." I grinned, toying with a strand of Maxie's golden brown hair as he panted and gasped after being denied orgasm for the second time, "You're just jealous that he's the one getting jerked off on me knee, not you."

"Believe me, I'm not jealous. I don't envy him at all. Not with the way you treat him." Alex said. I narrowed my eyes at him and pushed Maxie unceremoniously off my lap, standing up and facing the taller dark-haired man, my expression deadly serious.

"They way I treat him? Huh, that's rich coming from you! In case you hadn't noticed, but that live video feed has been playing to itself in the corner for a while now, and I've seen just how you handle your bitch, Alex. Frankly, you're no better than me. No wonder she hates you." I said, gesturing over his shoulder at the TV screen where his purple-haired waste of space ex-girlfriend was laying sprawled out on the bed, her head turned away from the camera.

Alex glanced back briefly and then returned his attention to me with a growl, grabbing hold of the front of my shirt with both hands and yanking him closer towards him, glaring down at me with his green eyes flashing menacingly. I looked up at him, unafraid, as I mentally bit back my grin. I loved it when he lost his temper and started beating me around. It's such a turn-on for me. And being as close as I was to him now was pretty enjoyable too. At least, my cock seemed to think so.

"Don't you dare." He hissed angrily, his knuckles white from his grip on my clothes. I tilted my head and flashed him a smirk which I knew would piss him off even more.

"Don't I dare what? Tell you the truth? Well, I'm sorry to say this, but you're screwed here, Sugar. She hates you. Just accept it and move on. Fuck her blind and get rid of her. She ain't ever gonna love you again. You're just deluding yourself."

The outraged look on his face was so damn comical, I just couldn't hold back the hysterical peals of laughter tearing their way up my throat. And once I started laughing, I couldn't stop. That is, until his hands let go of my shirt to instead slam around my throat, effectively cutting off my laughter as he clamped my airway shut with his fingers.

I gagged mid-laugh and clawed at his hands, arching my back to make him let go of me. I only did this because I knew he'd just hold on to my neck tighter, and that was exactly what I wanted him to do. Hey, while I'm here, I might as well enjoy it, huh?

"What do you know?" He roared, his face and body impossibly close to mine. _God…_ I can honestly say this is the stuff dreams are made of. Well, my dreams, anyway. Since when did strangulation ever feel so good? When _he's_ the one doing the strangling, that's when. _Whoa, Alex. I don't think you'd want to hold me this close if you realised just what it does to me…_

"What the fuck do _you_ know about love?!"

_Oh, if only you knew…_

"Obviously… more than you do…" I rasped out, still smirking at him despite the black creeping across my vision and my lungs aching for oxygen. He snorted at me in contempt but loosened his grip slightly, curious as to what I had to say. I gulped down a few shallow breaths before I spoke again.

"She hasn't forgiven you for… what you did to her. I don't think she'll… ever forgive you. Can't you… see that? She'll never love you again. Not even… if you kept her locked up here for the rest of her… life." I paused, feeling his fingers twitch against my neck. He wanted to squeeze tighter, to stop me talking, but he didn't. I'd got his attention now. He knew what I was saying was true.

"Unless…" I drew out that one word for a good few seconds, which was kinda hard when I could barely breathe, never mind talk. "Unless you play on… her weaknesses…"

"Weaknesses?" Alex asked, relaxing his hold a little more. I nodded at him with a twisted grin, calmly wrapping my hands around the wrists at my throat.

"Sure. Play on her weaknesses. I did… and it worked wonders. You see how I managed to get… her here without practically a single scratch on her? Her… weaknesses make her so easy to manipulate. Didn't you know that already?"

"What weaknesses?" Alex demanded, pressing himself even closer to me, so close that I had to clamp down hard on my bottom lip between my teeth and hold back a moan, twisting my hips so he didn't feel the _certain problem_ in the front of my pants. _That_ would've been embarrassing.

"Her friends. She'd do anything… for them. She'd rather put herself in danger than see them hurt. I figured… that one out almost straight away, from the moment I raped her blond friend in that alley…" I licked my lips as I remembered that night, and how hot and _tight_ Blondie had been, "And I threatened… some of her other friends with the same thing. That's why she came so… quietly. Well, as quietly as she could get. I said I'd rape them if she didn't come with me. And you… know what she said? _'Don't hurt them, Scott. If you want to hurt anyone, then hurt… me. Whatever you want to do to them, do it… to me instead. Rape me, torture me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave… my friends alone!'_ Sweet, isn't it? Everyone… has their weaknesses. Mine is beautiful young boys, hers is her friends, and yours… well, your weakness is the bitch herself. Maybe you should teach her a well-deserved lesson. Show her… who's the boss. _Make_ her love you."

We stared at each other for a moment, green blazing into green. His hands were still around my neck, but they weren't tight any more. He'd stopped squeezing not too long ago, which was kinda disappointing actually. Ah well. There's plenty of time. No doubt he'll be wrapping his hands around my throat again soon enough in the near future. Or maybe even wrapping his hands around more _important_ parts of my anatomy…

The silence stretched on for a good few minutes, and I took the time to enjoy the feeling of his hard muscular body against mine, watching his handsome face as he mulled over my little speech in his head, seriously considering to take my advice. I could see he wanted to. It was there, in his eyes. I could see it so vividly. That little flash of uncertainty clashing with his ferocious determination. He wanted to do it. He did.

"No." He said at last, shaking his head, "No. I haven't sunk that low yet. I haven't sunk to your level. I don't want to force her into loving me. I want her to love me of her own free will."

"_Huh. Like that's ever gonna happen."_ I snorted inside my head, but I didn't say it out loud. I might enjoy being on the receiving end of his punches, but even I haven't got that much of a death wish. Yeah, so I was pushing his buttons now, taunting and teasing him about the lack of love he was getting from his girl, but I won't push him too far. That could ruin everything.

"So let me get this straight…" I frowned, rotating my neck a little so I could speak freely once again and no fingers were pressing against my windpipe. Oh, he was still holding me by the throat of course, but now he was just holding loosely. More like a human dog collar, I suppose. "You're willing to spend the _rest of your life_ trying to get this intensely stubborn and unforgiving mule of a girl to love you again, when you could just make one tiny threat against her friends and you'd have her eating out of your hands, completely at your mercy in a matter of _seconds_. Now, I'm not an expert at these sort of things, but even I can see you drew the short straw there, Sugar. Where's the logic in that?"

Alex glared at me and tightened his grasp warningly, but then broke his gaze and looked away.

"You wouldn't understand, Scott. You don't know what it feels like to be in love. I'd do anything for her. Anything. I'd kill for her, I'd die for her, and no matter how much she hates me, I'll always love her. I just want her to remember how we used to be, and maybe we can go back to being like we were some day. I love her. I love her so much it hurts. I want her to see that." He murmured, more to himself than me. My frown deepened as I scowled at him, wishing he'd just get a grip and open his eyes and realise that he didn't need that bitch. All he could ever want and need was waiting for him right here, right under his nose, and he didn't even notice it…

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be easier if you forced her into it now and she grew to love you in the long term? A little Stockholm Syndrome can go a long way." I pointed out, reaching up with one hand to absently scratch the tip of my nose. Alex chuckled deeply and looked back at poor little Maxie still sat on the sofa, his knees pulled up to his chin and his fearful hazel eyes fixed on me and Alex in the middle of the room.

"Oh yeah, because it worked so well for you." Alex smirked. A grin of my own spread across my face and I aimed it at my latest pet, who blanched and moved himself further back into the sofa cushions, whimpering softly. Aww, bless him. Could he get any more adorable?

"I don't want my pets to love me. I'm just in it for a quick roll in the hay and the happy memories that follow it." I laughed maliciously. Alex shook his head sadly, his gaze downcast.

"But I want more than that. I'm not like you. You don't care about anything or anyone other than yourself." He inclined his head as he looked at me critically, almost as though he was seeing me for the first time, "Although sometimes I get the feeling that you don't care about yourself at all. The way you react when I lose my temper and hurt you… it's like you enjoy it."

Oops. Guess that's me busted, then, isn't it? My bad.

"Alright. You got me. I do enjoy it when you hit me. It's what us masochistic sadists generally like, y'know?" I sniggered at him, shaking my dark brown locks back from my face and leaning a little further towards him, bringing our faces closer together than before, "But maybe… maybe that isn't the _only_ way I want you to hit me…"

I gave him a sly smile and harshly moved my hips forwards into his, rubbing my hardness against his thigh. His eyes widened in shock before his face twisted in anger and he roughly shoved me away from him. I staggered back, laughing at the furious look on his striking features, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process.

"You're sick!" He spat for the second (and probably not the last) time, his hands curling into fists by his sides as he glared at me with a mixture of disgust and hate. _Mmm… Only he could make that expression look so fucking irresistible…_

I straightened up, still giggling to myself as I absently brushed non-existent dirt from my clothes.

"So you keep telling me. Though actually I prefer to think of myself as… misunderstood." I said, grinning widely as I turned my back on the taller man and made my way back over to the sofa, seizing hold of Maxie by his bony wrists and yanking him up from the cushions, ignoring his yelp of pain. I held him firmly to my chest, brushing his bangs back from his eyes so I could see his entire angelic face. I could feel him trembling in my arms as he always did whenever I touched him.

"Did my pet do a good job at cleaning her up for you?" I asked after a few seconds, aiming the question at Alex but keeping my eyes trained on Maxie.

"Yes, he did. Thank you, Maxie." Alex responded, giving my pet a small warm smile. I grinned at the shorter boy in my grasp and he gulped when he stared back at me. I nodded my head once.

"Y-y-you're w-welcome." My pet stuttered in reply to Alex's thanks. I smiled fondly and ruffled his hair again, looking up to lock eyes with the taller green-eyed man.

"I've trained him well, haven't I?" I chuckled wickedly, kissing Maxie's tearstained cheek sweetly. Alex just snorted and turned his back on us, briefly checking on the TV screen of his own prisoner before making his way towards the door from which he'd came.

"Where are you going?" I called after him.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. Keep an eye on Renami, will you? I told her not to try and escape, but if I know that girl as well as I do, she's gonna do everything she possibly can to break out and run away. Tell me if anything happens." He said without looking back.

I mock-saluted him as he left the room.

"Will do, boss!"

Suddenly remembering how painfully hard I still was, I turned my attention back to sweet Maxie trapped in my hold and grinned at him, looking for all the world like a hungry wolf. In a way, I guess I was. But it wasn't food I was hungry for.

"Now, Maxie. Where were we? Ah, yes. I remember." I smirked, running a hand lazily down his tender bruised chest. When I reached his unzipped jeans, I slid his pants down his hips, exposing more of his delicious flesh all hard and ready for me. Tears brimming in his large doe eyes trickled over the thick black eyelashes and slid down his cheeks. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop me.

I pushed him back onto the sofa cushions and approached him slowly, unbuckling my belt as I went. Grinning, I climbed on top of him and pinned him down beneath me, rocking my hips against his. He muffled his resulting yelp by biting down hard on his bottom lip and I sniggered at him, tracing over his soft pink mouth with my fingertips.

"Aw, you're too quiet, baby. You know I love it when you scream." I whispered maliciously, starting a trail of kisses from his lips, to his throat, to his chest, and inching my way further downwards, my hands and hips keeping him solidly trapped to the sofa as he squirmed and struggled against me.

"I-I won't s-scream for y-you any m-more!" Maxie stammered through gritted teeth, startling me with his sudden bravery. Sudden… but brief.

"Oh, really? Is that a fact?" I inquired innocently, gazing up at his flushed face and wide eyes from my position on his lower stomach. He nodded once, a mixture of fear and determination swirling in those deep hazel depths. I pretended to look thoughtful and pulled back slightly, taking a wicked pleasure in the expression of relief that passed over his pretty face. Then I cackled, completely obliterating his hopes of reprieve.

"Or is that a challenge?"

His back arched violently, his spine cracking loudly as I reached my originally intended target and took him in my mouth swiftly. His courage vanished out of existence instantly. He couldn't hold back any more, no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he tried.

He screamed.

I grinned smugly.

_Checkmate._

* * *

Renami's POV:

I stared at my reflection in the mirror impassively, brushing through my long pale lavender locks as nonchalantly as I could with a heavy silver-plated comb I'd found on the dressing table, my eyes occasionally flicking up to the camera mounted on the wall. _Is he watching me right now?_ I doubt it, but knowing Alex like I do, the stubborn bastard would probably stay up all night staring at the damn TV screen, observing my every move like a hawk. It wouldn't surprise me, to be honest. That guy doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit'. But then again, neither do I.

It'd turned dark outside quicker than I'd expected, which also meant I'd been lying unconscious strapped to that bed for longer than I'd first thought. How long have I been here? A few hours? A few days? A few _weeks?_ God, I hope not. I couldn't have been out cold for that long, could I? I know that dickhead Scott drugged me with whatever had been on that cloth when he covered my mouth with it, but surely it hadn't been strong enough to keep me practically comatose for more than a couple of hours. Maybe he'd created a concoction of his own, just for me. Oh, don't I feel special.

There wasn't a clock in here, so I had no idea what time it was. All I could tell that it must be pretty late at night, since the sky was pitch black with the occasional star and the crescent moon casting a dim yellow light through the window. I paused, the comb held steady halfway through its descent down my hair.

_Now? Should I do it now? Should I try now?_

I glanced at the glittering mess of glass scattered around the door, that one chosen shard in particular catching my eye, waiting for me to pick it up and use it. Waiting for me to put my plan into action.

_Am I ready for this? Am I ready to do this?_

No. I'm not ready. How could I ever be? Fear was rushing through my veins so hard and fast that I was fighting just to keep my hands from shaking. I'm not gonna lie. I've never been so scared in my entire life. What I was about to do… it was suicide. Pure fucking suicide! I might as well just let him to come down here and kill me right now! I might as well just slit my wrists with that piece of glass and save him the trouble! I'll be lucky to live through this. I'll be so damn lucky.

The screams had stopped. In fact, they'd stopped quite a while ago, but I'd been so wrapped up in my own thoughts I'd barely noticed. I didn't know where the screaming had been coming from, or who had been doing the screaming, but I couldn't help feeling so glad it wasn't me in their place. Whoever it'd been, their personal Hell must be a hundred times worse than mine. Were there more people locked up in here like me? More prisoners? Is this some sort of personal harem for those two green-eyed bastards, full of people they could do whatever they wanted with them, whenever they wanted? As disgusted as that made me feel, it was a little comforting to know I wasn't entirely alone in here.

I stole another look at the camera again, staring unblinkingly at it in the mirror until the red light beneath the lens blurred when my eyes stung slightly, reminding me to blink. This is it, Renami. It's now or never. Time to get outta here. Hey, who knows? Maybe this'll work!

Huh. Yeah right. Keep dreaming, Sweetheart. If this works, I'll give away everything I own and become a nun. No joke.

I rose from the chair in front of the dressing table and made my way casually over to the bed, still brushing my hair as I went. My heart was beating out a samba in my chest and all I could hear was my own pulse pounding in my head. Stopping at the foot of the mahogany bed, I lifted my chin up slowly, fixing my determined gaze on the light bulb screwed into the ceiling above my head, bathing the entire room with an artificial glow.

"You want me, Alex?" I murmured aloud, a smirk slowly spreading across my features, my courage growing as I removed the comb from my hair and tested the weight of it in my hands.

I turned and flashed a grin at the camera, once again flipping the finger at my captors via the live video feed before flexing my arm and hurling the heavy comb with all my strength up at the light fitting, excitement and apprehension shivering up my spine as I watched the comb smash into the light and shatter the bulb, sending a cascade of glass showering down onto the dark purple bedsheets and plunging the room into complete darkness.

"Come and get me."

* * *

Alex's POV:

I was on my feet the moment the picture on the TV screen turned black and I raced out of the room as fast as I possibly could, sprinting around the sleeping figures of Scott and Maxie still entwined on the sofa that was about as blood-splattered as the two of them. Scott always made a mess when he indulged himself with his pets, but right now I was passed caring. All I could think about at that moment was getting to that bedroom before my Kitten decided to do something I warned her not to do. I knew she was going to try. That was obvious from the wide grin she'd directed at the camera seconds before smashing the light with that silver comb. She was daring me. She wanted me to come up there. Why? What is she planning? I had no idea, but one thing's for sure: someone's about to get hurt. And I didn't know if it was gonna be me or her. Most likely her, but if I know Renami Safiya as well as I do, that sly vixen's got a few tricks up her sleeves.

My footsteps echoed as I thundered up the stairs three at a time, hurtling down the corridor and skidding to a halt outside the door of the room in which she was being held captive. I reached out and grasped the handle, exhaling deeply as I twisted it and cautiously nudged the door open with my palm flat on the cool wood, not knowing what nasty surprises might be waiting for me on the other side.

"Kitten?" I whispered, trying to peer through the darkness to see if I could spot my love somewhere in the room. Nothing. I couldn't see a damn thing. Even the moon bathing the glass-covered bedsheets in dim white light did nothing to help my vision.

It was deathly silent too. Still as the grave and twice as dark. It was a little unnerving; knowing that someone was in there but having no idea where. I was pretty confident that there was no way she could've escaped in the time it took from her smashing the light to me running up here. No way on this earth. My Kitten might be a sneaky resourceful bitch when the situation called for it, but she sure as Hell wasn't that good.

"Renami?" I spoke to the seemingly empty space, my voice a little louder than before. Still no answer. Then again, I hadn't expected there to be. Dammit! Damn her! Obviously she wasn't going to make her move until I'd fully entered the room. Smart girl. Despite the circumstances, I couldn't stop the proud grin that spread across my features. That's my girl. That's my Renami.

Still grinning, I stepped into the room as stealthy and sure-footed as cat.

Something crunched underneath my bare feet and I swore aloud without thinking as broken glass bit deep into the soles, drawing blood.

And that's when the bitch pounced, proving to me just how sneaky and resourceful she really was.

* * *

Renami's POV:

Time was of the essence now. The second I'd shattered the bulb overhead with that comb, I vaulted swiftly over the bed and crouched in the shadows by the door, my hand feeling around on the carpet until I found what I'd been looking for and grabbed it, clutching it tightly to my chest, waiting.

I didn't have to wait long. Heavy footsteps pounded towards my room, getting louder as he got closer. I sneered in contempt as I heard him twist the handle. So he had been watching me after all, huh? Mistake, Alex. Big mistake.

He pushed the door open tentatively with one hand and I immediately stiffened in my hiding place, unconsciously shrinking back, even though I knew he couldn't see me.

"Kitten?"

I bit my tongue to hold back a growl. _Don't fucking call me that, you twisted son of a bitch!_

He was scanning the room with his gaze, squinting through the gloom to try and find me. Good luck, Sweetheart, but you aren't even close.

"_Come and get me, Alex. Come on in."_ I muttered wordlessly to myself with a smirk, adjusting my grip on the object in my hand, _"Come on. You're not scared, are you? Come on, big boy. Show me what you got."_

"Renami?" He spoke again, the agitation barely hidden in his voice. I shifted a little, readying myself for the right moment. Despite the lack of light, I could still see his handsome features, and it made my blood boil. He was grinning. The bastard was grinning! Oh, but he wouldn't be grinning for much longer. I'll make sure of that…

He stepped into the room, and immediately cursed when he stepped on the broken glass from the water jug I'd thrown earlier. That was all I needed. That's what I'd been waiting for. I attacked.

To be honest, he didn't have a chance. I leapt out of my hiding place, completely blowing whatever cover the darkness had for me as I collided with his body and stabbed my right hand fiercely downwards. The long shard of glass I'd retrieved from the carpet glinted briefly in the pale moonlight, giving my dearest ex-boyfriend the opportunity to see exactly what it was shortly before I plunged it into his flesh.

The glass punctured through his dark skin cleanly and sunk in deep. Alex jerked away from me with a howl of mixed surprise and pain, the glass still embedded in his left shoulder blade as he staggered back, leaving the door wide open for me. Without hesitation, I ran for my life, through that doorway faster than humanly possible.

Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough.

Alex recovered quicker than I'd anticipated and tackled me to the ground before I'd even managed to make it out into the corridor, bringing the two of us crashing down hard onto the glass-littered carpet, me bashing my head on the side of the door in the process. Stars erupted in front of my eyes and effectively blinded me for a split second, but that didn't stop me lashing out beneath him, scrambling for freedom. My flailing fist connected solidly with his wounded shoulder and he groaned in pain, then he twisted my long hair around his fist and smashed my head into the door again in retaliation, the dull _thunk_ sound of my skull meeting solid wood echoing around the room.

"Fucking bitch!" He hissed, yanking my head up only to smash it straight back down again. Pain exploded in my head and shot through my entire body, blood starting to ooze down the side of my face from the point of impact with the sharp edge of the door.

Alex beat my head in with the door a few more times before climbing off me and dragging me up to my knees, pulling my head back so far I thought my neck would snap. Not that I cared at that moment. The room was spinning and crimson dripped into my eyes, obscuring my already blurry vision. Apart from the pain in my head, the rest of my body felt totally numb.

Alex's face hazily swirled into view, his expression twisted with fury and his green eyes narrowed murderously. _Oh shit._ I've gone and done it now, haven't I?

"Stupid girl!" Alex growled, pressing something sharp to my overly exposed throat. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. "Did you actually think that would work? Did you actually think you could escape so easily? Stupid, stupid girl!"

"A-Alex –" I started, my voice strained because of the uncomfortably angle my neck was at. I'd intended to say more than just his name, but I never got the chance, for no sooner had that one word left my mouth, he struck me hard with the back of his hand, jerking my head sharply to the side from the force. I cried out in pain and he silenced me again, this time moving the blade he held to my throat and forcing it between my lips, pressing it against my cheeks.

"Shut up! Shut up or I'll carve your pretty face and shut you up myself! I warned you, Kitten! I fucking warned you!" He spat venomously, deadly serious. Christ, I don't think I've ever seen him this angry. Sure, I've seen him angry before, but now… now he was practically foaming at the mouth with rage. He was fucking livid! Obviously seven months away from me hasn't done anything to help his anger management or his mental health.

I stared up at him apprehensively with slightly unfocussed eyes, not daring to speak for fear I'd slice my face in half just by moving. He glared back, the pupils of his eyes smaller than pinpricks. He looked completely insane, and I've never been so afraid of him in my entire life.

"Move." He commanded, pulling me to my feet and half-dragging me over to the bed, his knife still held firmly in my mouth. I did as he wanted to without a fight, half because I was still too dizzy to think straight and half because I didn't want to give him any more reason to hurt me more than he was about to. Oh, and boy was he going to hurt me. I could see it in his eyes. There was no getting out of this now.

Thankfully he removed his knife from between my lips, but my relief was short-lived as he shoved me roughly onto the bed, pinning me facedown into the mattress with his knee rammed painfully into the small of my back, keeping me in place. I started to struggle then, thinking he was about to rape me, and judging by the expression on his face, he wasn't going to make it a pleasant experience for me if he did. _Oh no… Oh God, no… please, don't do this to me… please, don't…_

"Stop struggling, Kitten. You don't want to make this any worse than it already is." He warned, moving his knee from my back to instead straddle my hips, firmly anchoring me down between his thighs. I'd just about come back to my senses now and strained my head to look at him over my shoulder.

"Alex… don't–" I pleaded, meeting his furious gaze, but he just snorted in contempt and forced my face down into the pillow, holding me there so I could barely breathe. He was smothering me and there was nothing I could do about it.

"I told you to shut up, whore!" He snarled, tightening his grip on my hair. The pillow muffled my cries of pain as I twisted and writhed to free myself before I stopped breathing altogether, but it was all in vain. He was too strong for me, even with a jagged shard of glass stuck in his shoulder.

Just when I was about to give up and let him suffocate me, he let go and I flung my head up, gulping down air into my oxygen-deprived lungs. As I gasped for breath, Alex grabbed onto my shoulders, pushing me back down so I was laid flat on my stomach. Whilst keeping one hand in place to make sure I stayed in that position, he started roughly unfastening the back of my dress, pulling the string out of the corset and brushed the material apart, baring my scarred back to him.

I tried to struggle against him again, but like before, it didn't work. Suddenly, he gave a grunt of pain and swore under his breath, but gave me no chance to wonder why as he leaned in close, his head beside mine, his breath warm against my ear.

"Didn't I tell you?" He whispered nastily, every word as sharp as a dagger, "Didn't I warn you? You know I'm a man of my word, Renami, and you're going to deeply regret defying me."

Agonising pain ripped through my body and I arched my back right up off the bed, only to be shoved straight back down with an angry growl from him. My growing scream was strangled in my throat as the same thing happened again, the feeling of him jabbing his knife deep into my skin and dragging it across, recarving over the healing scars that already resided there. _It hurt! Oh, God! It hurt so much! It hurt more than I thought it would! Stop! Stop! Please! Please, someone make him STOP!!_

My flesh burned white hot and I felt the equally warm sticky crimson liquid overflowing from the wounds, sliding in slick veils down my tanned skin and pooling onto the covers.

"Will you ever _learn_, Renami? Will you ever just _accept_ that you can't escape me, no matter what you do? You're _mine!_ You belong to me! Mind, body and soul, every part of you is rightfully mine! And I won't be denied it any longer."

I made to retort through my teeth gritted against the overwhelming dizzying pain, but once again he brought the blade down and retraced down a scar that ran almost the full length of my back, ending at the very base of my spine. He must've known I was going to try and say something, so he made sure to dig his knife further into my tortured body. I barely stopped myself screaming aloud by burying my face back into the pillow, biting into it to prevent any pathetic sounds leaving my lips. I won't give him the satisfaction. He hasn't beaten me yet.

Blood was everywhere. The rich coppery scent hung thick in the air. I could smell it even through the pillow. It reminded me of all the other times like this in the past, with him hurting me, proving his power over me. He still thinks he can control me. He's dead wrong.

"You're mine!" My tormentor repeated, bringing metal down to meet skin yet again. I'd forgotten just how many scars I actually had on my back, but Christ, I remembered each and every one now. As they were sliced open once more.

I felt sick and my head was still pounding from the beating it took against the door. I might've have felt numb before, but now was a completely different ball game. I could feel everything now. Every single stroke of that jagged-edge silver blade as it…

Jagged-edged?

That can't be right. That knife wasn't jagged. He'd held it to my throat moments ago. The edge had been so smooth and sharp…

My stomach lurched and I shuddered violently mid-arch, realisation cutting through me as deep as the fresh scarlet lines bleeding me out all over the amethyst bedspread. _He wasn't using the knife._ He was using the glass shard I'd stabbed into his shoulder. He'd pulled it out of his body and started slicing me open with it. He wanted this to hurt more than it would with the knife. He wanted me to really _feel_ this. After all, he was teaching me a lesson, wasn't he?

Alex seemed pretty pissed that I hadn't made a noise yet, and his cuts were gradually sinking deeper and deeper into my flesh, each cut deeper than the last. If this had happened to me seven months ago, I would've been screaming bloody murder from the second he carved that first cut. But not this time. I was biting the pillow so hard I thought my teeth would rip through the fabric in my desperation not to let him know just how much pain I was in. _It hurts! It hurts! Please, stop hurting me! I can't take this! Not again! I can't handle this all over again!_

The pillow was soaked with blood and tears, tears I was trying so hard to hold back. I don't want him to see me cry. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never cry for him again. But the pain… unbearable, stinging, _burning_… I wanted to scream until my throat was raw.

A small cry unwillingly escaped my mouth, the sound muffled by the pillow. Alex froze instantly, and although I wondered how he could've heard me through the material, I mentally yelled my deepest gratitude to each and every God up there. The relief, the wonderful sweet relief from the agony… it was the most wonderful thing I could've ever hoped to feel.

"What have I –?" Alex muttered, and something in his voice made me release my teeth from the pillow and groggily twist my head to look at him again. I felt so weak and lightheaded. I knew it wouldn't be long before I passed out from the pain and exhaustion.

He was staring down at his bloody hands with wide eyes, looking as though he'd just woken up from a deep trance. I noticed he still held the crimson stained glass shard in his right hand, but I avoided my gaze of it, desperately trying not to imagine the feeling of it splitting through my skin. Alex suddenly looked up and caught my tired pained stare, his face twisting with an expression of repulsion and regret as his dark green orbs travelled up my bloodied form to my face.

"Oh God!" He croaked, dropping his head into his red hands, unintentionally smearing my blood over his handsome face. I twisted a little more, straining to see the extent of the damage. My back was a mess, a river of crimson glistening in the pale moonlight. My open wounds stung fiercely with every movement I made, no matter how small.

"Oh God!" Alex repeated hoarsely and I returned my gaze to him, absently noticing that my eyelids were growing heavier and heavier by the second, "Oh God! What have I done?!"

He was still sat on me, but even so I attempted to get up off the bed, not wanting to lie in a puddle of my own blood. My arms trembled uncontrollably with the effort and I only just managed to pull myself up on my hands and knees before collapsing back down onto the stained covers, unable to hold myself up.

Alex had released his head and moved off me when I tried to get up, but when I fell back down almost immediately, he reached out and caught me, holding me close to his chest like he never wanted to let go. I was too weak and tired to fight him off.

"I'm sorry, Renami. I'm so sorry." He whispered, nuzzling the top of my head, his arms forming a protective yet strangely comfortable cage around me. Black was creeping across my vision and it was a struggle just to keep my eyes open. I didn't want to fall asleep in his arms like this. I didn't want to sleep at all, not with monsters like him and Scott in the same house.

"I'm so sorry." Alex murmured again, his voice sounding more distant than before. I vaguely felt several droplets of wetness land on my head and soak through into my hair before I gave up the fight to stay conscious.

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**Chiyo: Wow, there's some serious mindfuck going on with Alex, isn't there?**

**Cara: Just a little bit. Anyways, I might not be able to update for a couple of weeks since I'm gonna be revising my ass off for my mocks, so I don't epic fail and end up getting shot by my parents or whatever so yeah… may be a while to wait for chappie 24. But don't worry, I'll update as soon as I can! Promise! :D**

**Chiyo: Go on… leave us a review… you know you want to… XD**


	24. Game On

**Cara: OMG, I'm SO sorry! Way too long between updates! GCSEs and coursework and dancing comps and homework and EVERYTHING kept piling up, and on top of all that, DAMNED WRITER'S BLOCK TOO! God, why do you hate me so?! *cries in a corner***

**Chiyo: Okay then... Cara seems to be having a mental breakdown right now, so we'll let you guys get on with the chapter. And this chapter is pretty long, just to make up from the length of time between updates.**

**Cara: OH! And I dedicate this chapter to my friend from DeviantART, BloodyPoisonKiss! Here ya go, at long last! And I've also got some fanart on this from my buddy LittleMissMoomy! Luv ya! 3**

**Chiyo: And by the way, the first part of this chapter starts with a memory. There's gonna be a lot more of these at the start of chapters, so you better get used to them.**

**Cara: Read on and review for me please! Thankies!**

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Chapter 24:

_//Memory//_

"_Nami! Nami! What are you doing?" Someone called. I glanced up from the daisies I was twisting together in a long string to see a young girl skipping through the thick waves of grass towards me. She was quite a bit younger than I was, me being the eldest by about six years, and she was wearing a pale pink shirt and denim dungarees embroidered with small butterflies down the sides of the legs. Her skin was delicately sun-kissed, a little paler than my own, and her long dark purple hair was tied back in twin bunches that bounced up and down on her head as she got closer to me. In the sun that shone down on us, I could see her deep amethyst eyes sparkling._

"_I'm not doing anything." I replied casually, hiding a smile as I moved the daisy chain behind my back so she couldn't see, purposely to spark her interest._

"_Yes, you are, I saw you!" The girl pouted, folding her arms and scowling at me cutely, but I could see the curiosity plastered all over her youthful face, "You're hiding it behind your back! Show me what you've got, Nami!"_

"_Nope."_

_I turned away from her, taking my hidden daisy chain with me, keeping it out of sight._

"_Nami! Don't be mean! Please show me! Please, please, pretty, pretty please!" She begged. I smirked slightly at her predicted reaction before I turned back to face her. Her eyes were wide and pleading, their purple depths sparkling like jewels._

"_Oh God, no! Not the puppy dog eyes! Anything but the eyes! Have mercy!" I cried out, shielding my own eyes with one arm, keeping the daisy chain clenched securely in my other hand, out of sight._

_She giggled sweetly, her smile causing dimples in both cheeks._

"_Pretty please, Nami! I'll love you forever!"_

"_You'll love me anyway, Small Fry, you got that?" I chuckled and then gave a resigned sigh, acting as though she'd forced me into revealing my secret._

"_Oh, alright. Here it is."_

_I brought my hands out from behind my back, still tightly shut to hide what they held. The girl moved closer, her nose inches from my hands as she peered over the top of them, trying to catch a glimpse. I laughed softly and then opened my hands._

"_Ooooh! It's so pretty!" She whispered in awe, picking the chain up with her own podgy fingers, gawping at it in wonder as she held it up in the air. Then she looked up at me. "What is it?"_

"_It's a daisy chain. I'm making it into a necklace." I reached forwards to wipe away a smudge of dirt on the end of her nose with my thumb as I spoke._

"_Oh." She said when her nose was dirt-free. She handed back the half-finished daisy chain reluctantly and looked up at me, her head tilted on one side, "Can you make one for me too, Nami?"_

_I smiled at her and took hold of her delicate wrists, gently pulling her down to sit beside me in the grass._

"_I have a better idea. How about I teach you how to make a daisy chain, then you'll be able to make pretty flower jewellery whenever you want." I said. Her eyes lit up with glee and she clasped my hands tight in her own, beaming widely._

"_Really? You'll teach me how to make them? Oh, thank you so much, Nami!" She gushed and threw herself into my arms, hugging me so hard that I could practically feel several ribs crack under her hold. I gasped for breath until she released me, and then she seated herself down on my lap instead of the grass around us, but I didn't mind. I picked some daisies from the grass and started threading them together in a demonstration as she watched in silence, completely gripped by the sight._

_When I'd finished fastening four together, I held the small chain out to her._

"_There you go. Now it's your turn."_

"_Ok, then." She said, taking it from me and choosing a daisy of her own from the earth. I watched her as she struggled to wrap the fragile stalks around each other, occasionally breaking them and then tossing the useless flowers aside to start afresh with another daisy. After about the sixth or seventh ruined attempt, she threw the entire string of daisies away from her and pulled herself up from my knees._

"_I can't do it!" She cried out in frustration, her eyes brimming with tears as she started to stomp away back the way she came._

"_Hey, hey, hey, don't get upset about it." I said soothingly, holding my arms out wide to her, gesturing for her to come back and give me another hug, "Come here, Little One."_

_Sniffling, she stepped into my arms and allowed me to pull her back down onto my lap, my arms around her as she snuggled closer and pressed her head against my chest, fingers gripping onto my shirt. I stroked her hair softly, planting a comforting kiss on her forehead and she dabbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands, chasing away the tears. I rocked her gently on my lap for a while until her snuffles had completely faded away and she'd stopped crying. I pulled away slightly so I could see her cherubic face._

"_Feel better now?" I asked._

"_Uh huh." She nodded, looking up at me with slightly red eyes. I smiled again and let her lean back against my chest. When she was comfortable, I reached out and picked up her abandoned daisy chain and started to thread it onto my own, turning it into the necklace I'd set out to make earlier. It didn't take long to make it the right length and knot the final couple of daisies together, finally making a complete circle of flowers which I then placed on top of the girl's head, fashioning it as a makeshift tiara instead of a necklace._

"_There," I smiled, brushing stray locks of dark purple hair out of her eyes, "Now you're the Princess of the Flower Fairies."_

_The newly appointed Princess of the Flower Fairies giggled at that and pretended to wave her invisible magic wand at me with one hand as she reached up with the other and patted her daisy tiara lovingly._

"_Thank you so much, Nami!" she cried, smiling the widest sunniest smile I'd ever seen in my whole life and gazing at me adoringly, like I was some kind of angel. Heh. Me? An angel? Get real. But in her eyes, I suppose I was. I mean, I was practically a second mother to her, and a first mother when our mom wasn't around. And mom wasn't around most of the time…_

"_Hey, you should make one for you and mom too, Nami!" She piped up, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced down at her to see her smiling up at me, those huge bambi eyes of hers bright and captivating in the sunlight, "That way we can all be Princess Flower Fairies!"_

_I smiled back at her, knowing that mom would love a daisy chain of her own. She was a big kid at heart, and all the time she spent at home, she spent it hanging out with the two of us, laughing with us, enjoying the games we played together. She loved playing games with us as much as we loved playing games with her. Mom made our silly little games magical._

"_No, silly," I said, tapping the end of her nose, making her blink in surprise, "Mom would be the Queen of the Flower Fairies."_

"_Oh, yeah! And she'd be the prettiest Queen ever, wouldn't she, Nami?" She giggled, clapping her hands together in joy._

"_She sure would."_

_I prised a couple of daisies from the grass in front of me and started entwining the stems. The adorable angelic child on my lap watched, totally engrossed. I smiled fondly. It didn't take much to entertain this kid. Hell, you could give her a twig and a piece of paper and she'd spend hours dancing around the house, waving her makeshift flag and nearly jabbing your eyes out every time she passed. Trust me, I'd know. All I can say is that it's amazing how I've managed to survive this long with such an energetic and dangerous sister like her. It's a good job I love her more than anything in the whole world, isn't it?_

"_Nami?" Said energetic and dangerous sister suddenly murmured, her head bent forwards as she stared down at a single daisy she'd picked and was now twirling between her small fingers._

"_Mm?"_

_She nuzzled against me like I was some sort of oversized teddy bear, twisting on my knees so she could bury her head in the nape of my neck, absently threading the daisy into a lock of my long pale hair that dangled by her face._

"_When is mom coming home?" She inquired innocently. I stiffened instantly, but thankfully her attention was still on my hair and she didn't notice._

"_I don't know." I answered truthfully, "She didn't say." She never does. I added that last bit on in my head, not wanting to say it out loud and upset my little sister._

"_She is coming back, right?" She whispered softly, and I glanced down to find her staring straight up at me, her expressive eyes larger than life. Her lower lip was trembling slightly, and the sight of it damn near broke my heart._

"_Of course she's coming back, Zahra. She promised, remember?" I reassured the younger girl with a smile, hugging her tiny body tighter to me without realising. She was so soft and warm and delicate. And really skinny, thanks to all her hyperactive energy. I always worried that if I held her too tight she might snap. She seemed so breakable and fragile, and that's probably why I'm so protective and possessive over her. My own precious little creature to protect. My little Zahra._

"_She's always gone too long. I hate it." Zahra murmured against my throat, wrapping her arms tight around my neck in a fierce hug that was almost possessive itself. Then she relaxed her hold a little and leaned back to meet my gaze again._

"_Don't you ever leave me, Renami." She said firmly, her eyes so hard that I actually blinked at her in surprise, "Don't you ever even think about leaving me. Stay with me forever, ok? Promise me you will, Nami. Please, promise me you will!"_

"_I promise, Zahra. I'll never leave you. Never in a million years."_

_I cradled her close and she held me just as tight, both gripping onto each other in fear that one of us would suddenly vanish into thin air._

_Nuzzling my face into her silky smooth dark hair, I inhaled her sweet flowery scent deeply. Cherry blossom. A scent as sweet as the little girl it belonged to._

_Zahra was still sniffling a little in my arms, and the front of my shirt was slightly damp from her tears. Kissing her forehead again, I leaned down to softly sing the lyrics to our favourite song in her ear, the song our mom always sung to us whenever we were sad._

"_Come stop your crying, it will be alright,_

_just take my hand, hold it tight._

_I will protect you from all around you,_

_I will be here, don't you cry."_

_I brushed away the warm wetness from her paler cheeks with the tips of my fingers. Her smile grew and she took my hands in hers, twining her smaller fingers with my own as she joined in singing with me in her breathtakingly beautiful soprano voice, so much like my own. We were in perfect harmony, and I didn't mean in just our singing. Our whole worlds revolved around the other. I needed her, she needed me. The two of us together, untouched by everything else outside our private little bubble._

_And when mom came back, she'd be part of that bubble too, but until then, it was just me and Zahra._

"_For one so small, you seem so strong,_

_my arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm._

_This bond between us can't be broken,_

_I will be here, don't you cry._

_And you'll be in my heart,_

_yes, you'll be in my heart,_

_from this day on, now and forever more._

_You'll be in my heart,_

_no matter what they say,_

_you'll be in my heart,_

_always."_

_A gentle breeze rushed through the long grass, making the strands of green dance around us. The sun setting in the pink-streaked sky was a brilliant fiery orange, bathing mine and my sister's tanned skin in a delicate ochre tint._

"_You'll be in my heart,_

_believe me, you'll be in my heart._

_I'll be there from this day on,_

_now and forever more._

_You'll be in my heart,_

_no matter what they say,_

_you'll be here in my heart always."_

_In the distance, a familiar red car approached our house, the bright sunlight bouncing of the crimson roof. Looking up, I gently nudged Zahra so she looked too. She gasped aloud when she saw what I was staring at, and our faces erupted into wide twin grins. A woman as familiar as the car wound down the window and leaned out as she pulled onto the driveway, sticking an elegant slender arm outside and waving to the two of us, her beautiful smiling face clearly visible from where we were sat._

_Zahra scrambled up off my lap and helped me drag myself to my feet. We grasped hands again and ran through the thick waves of grass, heading for the house. The car engine cut out and the door to the front seat swung open, that same familiar woman climbing out onto the tarmac drive, looking for all the world like a real life angel from Heaven. Her hair was a darker shade of purple than mine but a lighter purple than Zahra's, pulled back in a messy ponytail, several long strands breaking for freedom and framing her stunning heart-shaped face. Her amethyst eyes sparkled in the setting sun, her attention focused on nothing else but me and my sister running towards her. We could hear her singing in that soft breathy voice of hers as we closed the gap between us._

"_Always…_

_I'll be with you._

_I'll be there for you always._

_Always and always._

_Just look over your shoulder._

_Just look over your shoulder._

_Just look over your shoulder,_

_I'll be there always."_

_She knelt down on one knee on the tarmac, her arms open wide. We ran into them and she immediately folded the both of us in a tight protective embrace, hugging us closer than you would've thought possible._

"_Mommy, mommy!" Zahra chanted happily, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. Kiani Safiya, our mom, raised her head and stared down at both of us, her gaze filled with so much love that I felt I was drowning in it, but at that moment, I couldn't care less. Mom was home. Mom was back here, at home with us. We were together again._

"_My angels, my sweet babies, my darlings." Mom murmured, burying her face into mine and my sister's purple hair, her voice thick with tears._

"_I'm home."_

_//End memory//_

The sound of the bedroom door opening wrenched me back from my distant thoughts, and my fists tightened on my lap, scrunching up the folds of my bloodstained dress. Huh. I wondered when he'd come crawling back in here. Probably to beg forgiveness, no doubt. Not that he's gonna get any from me. Never in a million years. Not after everything he's done to me.

"Renami?" He spoke, his voice tender and soft as he stepped back into the room, heading towards my bed. I didn't answer him. I didn't even turn around. I just casually flicked my hair back over my shoulder and glared out of the window opposite me, pointedly ignoring him. I half expected him to give me one of his derisive chuckles and pin me back down on the bed to carve more pretty pictures into my flesh, but he didn't make a single sound other than the soft padding of his footfalls on the carpet as he approached me.

"Renami?" He said again, worry underlining his deep baritone as I heard him place something down onto the bedside table with a small _thunk_. He walked around the bed and stood in front of me and in response I turned my head to the side, my glare burning twin holes in the dresser. He heaved a heavy sigh and then crouched down before me, his hand reaching up to gently touch at the bloodied mess of a cut at my hairline from last night's multiple collisions with the door, but I jerked my head away. _Don't even think about it, dickhead._

"Renami, look at me. Please."

"Go fuck yourself." I hissed back under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear me and sigh again.

"Come on, Kitten. Don't be like that."

I had to bite my tongue to stop the furious retort already halfway up my throat. Don't be like that? Don't be like fucking _what?_ What does he expect me to do? Welcome him back with open arms? Over my dead body.

Heavy silence fell over the two of us for several long moments. I still didn't look at him, because I knew that if I did, I'd launch myself at him fingernails first and rip his head from his shoulders. As tempting as that sounded, I was in no condition to attack anyone. Unfortunately. Every movement I made, however slight, made my back sting and burn, and the painful wounds I'd received from him last night would reopen and bleed. That really pissed me off, since I was feeling exceptionally murderous today.

Obviously oblivious to my homicidal mood, (either that or he was just ignoring the fact that I'd like nothing better than to claw his eyeballs out right now), Alex lifted one hand to my face and brushed back my hair, tucking a lone lock of pale purple behind my ear so he could see my face fully. Well, the full side view of my face anyway, still streaked with dried blood. I hadn't had chance to clean it off, thanks to drifting away into unconsciousness and not waking up for another twelve hours after yesterday's beating.

"Stop touching me." I growled warningly, my voice a little louder than before. He ignored me. Of course he did. Oh well. His funeral.

"Your skin is so soft…" He murmured absently, as if that one statement was enough to permit the whole touching thing. He lightly ran the back of his hand down my cheek, his soft caresses feeling like feathers ghosting across my skin. I shuddered at the contact and made to pull away again, but he moved away from me first before I could, taking his wandering fingers with him.

Alex straightened up from his crouched position and I blinked up at him, my confusion momentarily wiping away the intense hating glare from my features. My head wanted to follow him as he made his way back around the other side of the bed, but my stubborn bastard pride wouldn't let me, so instead I stared out of the window with narrowed eyes, every muscle in my body poised, braced for the attack which was without a doubt mere seconds away.

My hands were clamped tightly across my chest, holding the white top-half of my bloodied dress to me. It was too painful to lace the corset back up, thanks to him and that damn piece of glass. Why didn't I stab him in the neck with it when I'd had the chance, rather than jab it in his shoulder? Oh right. Because I'm an idiot. Great. Probably my only chance of getting the Hell outta here, and I blow it so spectacularly. Fucking typical.

He climbed onto the bed behind me, and the mattress dipped slightly with his weight. My jaw clenched tightly as I ground my teeth together, mentally daring him to touch me. I don't know how attached to his limbs he is now, but trust me, he lays one more finger on me, and he won't be attached to them for much longer. Rest in pieces, asshole.

"Take the dress off." Alex said, his voice issuing from dangerously close to my right ear. I could feel the heat radiating from his body mere inches away from my own. He was way too close for comfort.

"I don't think so." I responded icily, my grip on my bodice doubling just in case he decided to tear the dress off me himself.

"Renami, please." He groaned in exasperation, most likely rolling his eyes at my turned back, "I'm not asking for a striptease, I just want you out of that dress so it can be cleaned and I can tend to your back, alright? Just trust me."

I snorted humourlessly at his words. Trust him? Oh sure, honey. Of course I'll trust you. Even though every word that comes out of your mouth is a load of crap, and you lie out of your fucking ass, but naturally, I'll trust you. About as far as I could fucking throw you, maybe even less.

"You lost that privilege long ago, Alex. Around the time you first started beating me around. I'll never trust you again, not while I'm still breathing." I retorted, but then I froze instantly as he wrapped his tanned arms around me, laying them on top of my own, resting his chin on my shoulder. Taking advantage of my brief immobility, he nuzzled into the side of my throat, his lips and breath warm on my flesh. A low growl escaped my lips.

"Back off if you know what's good for you." I snarled through gritted teeth, my voice trembling. Not trembling with fear. Hell no, far from it! But trembling with pure undiluted burning rage. I was so angry my entire vision was covered in a veil of red. I can honestly say I've never been as close to committing murder in my entire life. Even after all the times a certain billionaire teenage CEO has pushed me and my explosive temper right to the very limits.

Alex took my wrists in each hand, still bandaged from my previous struggle with those leather straps, locking his fingers around them like human handcuffs. I inhaled sharply through my nose and clenched my fists tightly, my knuckles turning stark white from the tension. Oh, what I wouldn't give right now to be stronger than him, to be able to fight him off, to be able to pin him down and hurt him and make him bleed. One day, I don't care when, but one day, I _will_ get him back for _everything_ he's ever done to me. I swear on my own life I will.

"Please," He murmured in my ear, his words soft and silky, a lover's caress, "Please, Renami. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"Promises, promises." I hissed in reply, tilting my head as far away from his as I possibly could, "As if I haven't heard enough of those from you."

_How many promises have you made me over the years, Alex? And how many of them have you broken? Add them up, Sweetheart. The numbers are practically equal._

He paused for a moment, almost as though he was hearing my unspoken thoughts running through his own head, but then he let go of one of my wrists and swiftly grabbed hold of my face instead, making me wince and bite back a cry of pain as he dug his fingers hard into my jaw.

"Don't piss me off, Kitten. I'm trying so hard to control my temper, and you're not making it any easier. Now, are you going to take that dress off before I rip it off for you?" He whispered maliciously, his nice-guy façade completely disappearing out of existence. I could practically hear the sneer in his voice as he relinquished his grasp of my other wrist and lightly trailed his hand up the white bodice, curling his fingers to securely grip the material, making me deadly certain that this was no idle threat.

My lip curled in disgust, but as stubborn and difficult as I am, I didn't really fancy having my clothes torn off my body when I was too weak to fight back. Well, I wasn't really _too weak_, rather I didn't want any more injuries before the freshly reopened scars on my back had chance to heal, at least partially. There's only so much pain I can take, and I didn't want to double my agony on only the second fucking day in this Hellhole.

But there is no way on this earth that I'm gonna give in to him that easily. The fight isn't over yet, Alex. In fact, it's barely just begun. I'm not completely at your mercy yet, and you can expect more escape attempts from me in the very near future.

Without saying a single word, I slapped his hands away and stood up, keeping my back turned to my tormentor as I carefully slid out of the bloodstained dress, letting it fall into a puddle of silky material on the carpet. I sat back down again, seizing the amethyst bedsheets with one hand and draping it to cover my lap before then clamping my hands firmly over my breasts, hiding them from view as I bared my wounded back to my beloved psychopathic ex-boyfriend.

"Good girl." He leaned closer and whispered in my ear again. I half-turned my head around to send another venomous retort in his direction, but before I could, he pressed something wet and hot against my back and I hissed in pain, arching myself away from his touch. I would've scrambled up off the bed in literally less than a second if he hadn't caught me by the wrist and gently but firmly pulled me back down again.

"Shh, shh, shh." He murmured soothingly. I snarled at him fiercely, feeling more animalistic the more my rage grew as I strained round to see what he had dabbed at my wounds with. With a small smirk, he raised his hand and twirled a damp cloth between his fingers, wringing steaming hot water from it into the equally steaming bowl he had balanced on his lap.

"Relax, Kitten. I've already told you, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just trying to help."

In response, I fixed him with my best loathing glare for a few moments, still not giving him the satisfaction of a conversation with me. I was prepared to never say another damn word for the rest of my miserable life stuck here if I had too. Surely he'd get tired of the one-way discussions soon enough. Unless he loves the sound of his own voice more than I think he does. To be honest, that wouldn't surprise me at all. Nothing about that sick sadistic creep would surprise me anymore.

I turned my back to him once more, and immediately he pressed the cloth to my recently reopened scars, sluicing the dried blood from my caramel flesh with tender deft wipes with the material. He must've put some antiseptic or something in with the water, because it stung when it came in contact with the deep slits and cuts that littered my back, but it was only mildly irritating. I was still too angry to really let the slight twinges of pain bother me. After all, it'd hurt so much more last night.

Minutes passed in silence, the only sounds him rinsing the bloody cloth out into the bowl every now and again. My hands were clasped together on my lap as I waited patiently for him to finish, trying as hard as I possibly could to keep a lid on my overflowing fury.

"I never meant for him to hurt anyone." Alex blurted out suddenly, breaking the silence and making me jump at the unexpected random comment.

I blinked, confused, unable to hold my tongue any longer.

"What?" I asked, twisting around to look at him again. Alex had stopped cleaning the blood from my back and was instead staring down at the cloth in his hands, but I don't think he was really seeing it. His hair fell to hide his face from me behind an ebony curtain as I stared at him, frowning uncertainly.

"Scott." He muttered without looking up. My body stiffened upon hearing that name, but I didn't say anything as Alex paused for a second before going on. "I never meant for him to hurt anyone. I told him to give you a message. A couple of messages. I told him to just get in there, tell you what I wanted you to know, and get back out again. I never meant for him to harm you or your friends. I never meant for him to rape anyone either."

I chuckled dryly and shook my head at him cynically.

"Then you don't know that bastard at all. I've only met him about three or four times, and that was enough for me to realise that he's even more of a sadistic psychotic piece of shit than you are. The first time I saw him was when he and his thugs cornered me and Joey in an alley, then drugged us both and beat and raped Joey! And did he feel guilty at all? No. Instead, he threatened me, told me his sick fantasies about how he was going to get _all my friends_ like he got Joey. He came _this close_ to raping Yami and Yugi! If I hadn't managed to persuade him to leave them alone, then he would've gone ahead and violated them too! You've known him longer than me, and yet I know him better than you ever could. What did you _think_ he'd do?"

Alex didn't answer me immediately, but then he lifted his head and locked his dark green orbs with my amethyst ones.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Fear instantly twisted my insides in a tight steely grip, thinking that he meant I'd crossed the line once more and he was going to teach me another _lesson_, but from the expression on his handsome face, I could tell that wasn't the case.

"I shouldn't have done what?"

"Traded places with your friends. You shouldn't have done that."

I hesitated a second, letting his words sink in. Then when the realisation struck, my temper exploded through the roof, just about taking off into orbit.

"WHAT?!" I roared furiously, lurching to my feet, dragging the bedcovers with me to conceal my nakedness, "You think I should've just left him to _rape them_?! Why kind of sick fuck are you?!"

Alex shot to his feet so fast that I blinked and missed his movement completely and instantly took a step back when I suddenly found him in my face, so damn close that I could practically count every single blood vessel in the whites of his eyes.

"NO! You don't understand!" Alex bellowed back, absolutely livid with fury, "He told me what you said, Renami! Every single word. You didn't persuade him not to hurt your friends. You offered him a fucking trade-off, and he took it. You for them. You played right into his hands on that one, and now he's never gonna give in until he makes good of your promise!"

"What promise? I don't –"

"'_Don't hurt them, Scott. If you want to hurt anyone, then hurt me. Whatever you want to do to them, do it to me instead. Rape me, torture me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave my friends alone!_'" He cut across me, his lips twisting into a contemptuous sneer as he hissed the words in an almost perfect imitation of my voice before switching back to his own rich baritone, "Does that sound _familiar_ to you?"

I gaped at him in horror, my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. _Oh shit…_ I've been suspicious for a while now about how quickly that bastard Scott had given in to my pleading back in the Game Shop, and now I've just realised why. And another thing I've just realised is that I was in so much deeper trouble than I ever thought possible.

Alex held my shocked gaze for a few seconds longer, then looked away, growling under his breath in agitation.

"You see what I mean? You said yourself that he was a sadistic psychotic piece of shit. Why the Hell did you practically hand yourself to him on a silver fucking platter? What were you _thinking_, Renami?!"

He sounded royally pissed now, foully cursing my stupidity. Only it wasn't stupidity. It was self-sacrifice, trading my life for the lives of my friends. Not a bad deal, I don't think. Though obviously Alex seems to think it is. And I'll bet Yugi and the others wouldn't be too impressed with it if they knew. And as for Seto Kaiba, well. He'd waste no time in grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me like a rag doll, telling me what a complete and utter moron I was. Subtly was never Kaiba's strong point. But then again, neither was it mine.

I fixed my gaze on the carpet beneath my feet.

"I don't know… I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't really thinking at all." I lifted my head, staring straight at my ex-boyfriend with hard determined eyes. "But I couldn't let him hurt my friends, Alex. I made a choice back there in the Game Shop, and I'm glad I did. Rather me than them. After all, what's the worst he can do to me?"

Alex gawped at me incredulously, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.

"Do you actually fucking hear the words that come out of your mouth, Renami? What's the worst he can do to you… Is that a trick question? Do you want a freaking _list_?! You have _no idea_ what that psychopath is capable of!"

I raised an eyebrow and gave a short humourless laugh.

"Compared to the living Hell you've put me through, dealing with Scott will be child's play." I retorted unkindly, my lips curling up into a grim sneer. Alex sighed sadly and gently took hold of my wrist, guiding me back over to the bed. I sat down without a fight and he resumed his position behind me, taking up where he left off before, swabbing my wounds with the hot antiseptic water.

It didn't take long for him to completely clean my back of all the dried blood from last night, and he also reached round over my shoulder to wash away the crimson-brown stains from my face too. When he'd finished, he placed the bowl and cloth back on the bedside table and I turned my head just in time to see him open the drawer and pull out a familiar roll of bandage for my more severe injuries.

"Don't I need any stitches?" I asked as he started bandaging me up, wrapping the material round and round my entire midriff, completely covering the gaping scars.

"No, you should be fine." He replied quietly. I mentally snorted at his words. I bet even if I did need stitches, he wouldn't do anything about it. Maybe he'd attempt to sew me up himself, but there's no way on this entire planet that he'd take me into hospital. Risk having me recognised and taken away from him again? No, he wouldn't take that chance. Never in a million years. No matter how horrific my injuries could be, he wouldn't take me to get proper medical attention for fear of losing me once more. Damn that possessive sadistic butcher, Hell-bent on carving me up bit by bit like I'm some kind of prize steak. But I don't hate him. Oh no, no, no. I just despise him with such an intense overwhelming burning passion that I'm practically melting away from the inside out. I would so hate to be him right now.

He was still dressing my wounds as tenderly as he possibly could, circling the bandages around me almost lovingly. I tensed up as he carefully prised my hands away from my chest and continued on wrapping, totally covering my breasts also. Every time his deft hands drifted across my chest, I had to fight to suppress the shudders that wracked my body. I didn't like him touching me so intimately… It made me feel so vulnerable and under his control. Like a humble battered slave kneeling at the foot of her abusive master. That's how I felt right now.

Not as soon as I would've liked, Alex finished with the bandages and tied the knot securely to keep them in place. Before I even had chance to blink, he was on his feet again and, pausing briefly to lean back and grab something on the chair by the bedside, he made his way back around the bed so he was facing me once more. I noticed he had a bundle of sleek black material clutched in his grip, and he held said material outwards in his arms as he stopped a few feet in front of me.

"Here." He said, offering me the garment in his grasp with a small, almost shy smile. My eyebrows furrowed as I frowned suspiciously up at him, wondering what he was up to. His smile broadened a little and he unfolded the material, showing me that what he was presenting me with was an ebony satin dressing gown, long-sleeved and respectively knee-length.

"It might take a while for your dress to be cleaned," Alex explained, "You can wear this until then. Unless you'd rather wear the bedcover toga again, like last time."

He was trying to make me smile with a light-hearted joke, but I wasn't going to fall for any of it. I was still as pissed as Hell at him, and no matter how many jokes he made, how nice he was to me, it won't get him anywhere with me. Forgiveness? Ha! Right now I didn't know the meaning of the word.

Although… that expression on his face reminded me of the _real_ Alex. The Alex I fell in love with all those years ago. The Alex who was my saviour and rock after my mom and Zahra died. The Alex I would sell my soul to get back, rather than this twisted psychotic bastard he'd somehow transformed into in the short space of three years. My eyes hardening, I tore my gaze away from his dark green orbs.

"Yeah, I bet bloodstains are real buggers to get out of whites, huh?" I muttered sarcastically, snatching the satin dressing gown from him and pulling it on, fastening the long black tie around it to keep my bandaged torso and the rest of my naked body hidden beneath the silky folds of material. Alex exhaled dejectedly, but I still didn't look at him.

"Are you hungry?" He asked after a moment. I saw him move away from me slightly and bend down, picking up the crimson-splattered dress from the carpet.

I was all set to refuse with another vehement retort, but my stomach gave me away before I could and growled, demanding food. Mentally scowling and cursing myself, I lifted my head and nodded once.

A flash of what looked like a triumphant grin spread across his face, though it was gone almost as soon as it came. He offered me his free hand to help me up, but I ignored it and pulled myself to my feet, biting back my pained grimace as I felt the skin around the cuts on my back stretch and burn with the strain of my movement. I tried not to let the pain show on my face, but obviously Alex had noticed something from my features as he reached out and grasped my elbow gently. Snarling, I ripped my arm from his grasp, feeling something warm and wet start to seep through the bandages. Great. Bleeding again already. Absolutely fucking brilliant.

"I don't need your help!" I spat angrily, wishing with every fibre of my being that the intensity of my death glare was enough to make him drop dead where he stood. Oh, if only.

Alex held his hands up in the air, both palms splayed in surrender. His expression was unreadable, and the dark depths of his eyes gave nothing away as he skirted round me and made his way to the door. Resting the hand without the dress on the handle, he glanced back over his shoulder at me.

"Come on." He said, tilting his head towards the door as he turned the handle and nudged the firm wood with his foot, making it swing fully open. Confusion washed over me as I stood and stared, my gaze flicking from him to the open door and then back to Alex again. _What the –?_

"Come on," Alex repeated, reaching out to me with one hand. Instinctively, I drew back, uncertain and suspicious.

"What?"

"I'm going to take you down to the kitchen so you can fix yourself something to eat. You'll be staying here for a while, so I might as well show you around. After all, one day you won't need to be locked up in this one room all the time, when you remember your love for me." Alex smiled. My lip curled in disgust. So he's got it all planned out, huh? What's he planning on next after that then? A house of our own? Marriage? Kids? He's got a nasty surprise coming his way if he thinks we've got any sort of future like that together.

But through my repulsion, a plan was beginning to form in my head. A dangerous thing, I know, considering how well my _last_ plan turned out, but even so, the sooner I got outta this shithole, the better. Maybe him showing me around the house could work to my advantage… Who knows, on my next escape attempt, if I knew my surroundings better, finding my way out would be so much easier, rather than wasting precious time blundering through endless rooms and corridors…

His hand was still outstretched towards me, palm upwards, waiting for me to take it. Taking care to keep my face blank to hide my inner scheming, I lifted one arm and, fighting back the shivers that trailed my spine, placed my hand in his. He smiled warmly at me and led me from the room, his fingers gripping firmly around my own lax digits for fear that I would try to pull away from him. But as much as I wanted to, I didn't, focussing on the bigger picture, enduring his touch for now.

Leaving my prison, I found myself in a long corridor, the carpet of which was pretty familiar to me, considering how I'd had a faceful of the previous night when I'd been rugby-tackled to the ground by my beloved enraged ex.

Alex tugged my arm gently and we walked down the endless corridor together. I took this time to cast my gaze around everywhere, taking in and memorising every tiny detail all around me for later. The patterned carpet beneath our feet was a deep burgundy colour with swirls of a brighter red, and the walls were panelled with the same mahogany wood as my bed. Other than that, there wasn't really much else to say about our surroundings. It was bare and empty, no pictures hanging on the walls, no random vases of flowers dotted here and there. No windows, only a few dim light fittings screwed into the ceiling. We passed a couple of other doors similar to mine on our way, but Alex said nothing about what lay behind them. I didn't ask. If he didn't mention it, it probably wasn't important.

The corridor wasn't as long as I'd originally thought, since we came to a staircase quicker than expected. The lack of light in here made everything look darker and never-ending, and just downright sinister. This was the kind of place you'd see in movies, the scary house that you can tell, just by one glance, that something eerie and nasty was about to happen, or had already happened. It was freezing cold too, and I shivered in my thin dressing gown, unconsciously moving closer to Alex for warmth. I'll bet he loved that.

Before we started our descent, Alex paused and pointed with the hand that still held my bloodied dress at the door straight in front of us, next to the stairs.

"That's Scott's room." He said, scowling slightly at the door, "You don't ever want to go in there."

I shivered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the temperature. Just knowing that that evil bastard slept only a few doors down from me made my stomach churn. The thought that he'd only have to take a short walk down the corridor and he'd find himself right outside my door… I had to clamp my lips together to stop myself from throwing up all over the place.

Alex didn't say anything else as he guided me down the stairs, his hand still clasping mine. And I was clasping his hand back equally as tightly, momentarily fearful of meeting Scott again on this little tour. I knew Alex would protect me from the green-eyed fiend, but like he pointed out to me a few minutes ago, I offered Scott a trade-off in the Game Shop, and he accepted it. No doubt he's waiting in the wings to make good of our promise.

Stepping down from the last stair, we were in a corridor the exact replica of the one we'd just left, the same carpets, panelling, lack of daylight and life. I glanced around with a growing sense of apprehension. I couldn't see a door that looked like a possible exit anywhere. Sure, there were plenty of doors, but they were all the same as upstairs. Alex fixed his gaze on me, obviously knowing what I was looking for.

"Don't bother, Renami. The way out isn't around here. And I'm not going to show you were it is either, so stop looking." He spoke firmly, his grip tightening a little on mine. I glared back at him, but said nothing, allowing him to pull me along with him, down the new corridor and through a door that looked the same as all the others, but this one lay open, almost as though it was inviting us inside.

The first thing I noticed was real sunlight streaming through the large window in front of us, bathing the room in a natural glow that was so much better than the artificial bulbs lining the corridors. This room was obviously a living room, judging by the couch and television, not to mention several bookcases, a coffee table and a few various other pieces of furniture. The couch was faded and large blotched stains of scarlet marred the cushions. I looked away quickly, not wanting to even think about what might've happened on there. But it seemed Alex had decided to tell me anyway, despite my reluctance to know.

"This is the living room. I don't like to spend much time in here, unless I have to." He fixed his dark green orbs on the stained sofa. "Scott enjoys taking over the couch when he's toying with his pets."

I flinched at that as unwanted images filled my head. Scott's 'pets' struggling around on the sofa, crying and screaming as he had his wicked way with them, beating them, raping them, just like what he did to Joey, and what he threatened to do to the rest of my friends. Suddenly, with a sick realisation, I figured out what and where those screams had came from yesterday afternoon. Scott and one of his prisoners. If I felt sick before, that feeling instantly doubled as I tried to banish the thoughts from my mind.

I wanted to get out of this room as quickly as I possibly could, and thankfully I noticed another open door to my right. I hurried towards it, practically dragging Alex along with me before he'd even realised we were moving.

A glimpse. That's all I managed to get. A young boy sat at a table, wearing only a pair of tattered jeans and bare from the waist up, his pale thin torso bloodied and bruised. He was so skinny he was practically skeletal, his bones sticking out alarmingly beneath his papery skin. His hair was golden brown, hanging just past his shoulders, covering his eyes as he bowed his head forwards, staring down at the empty plate before him. His hands were clenched in tight fists by his sides. He looked so frail and young and vulnerable, I just wanted to run in there and hug him close, smooth his hair back from his face and tell him everything was going to be alright. But almost as soon as I'd seen the boy, I was dragged back and slammed roughly against the wall, Alex's hand across my mouth to muffle my cry of shock and pain.

"Ssh!" He hissed urgently as I started to struggle violently in his grasp, ignoring the pain from my wounds, "Scott!"

The mention of that name froze me instantly, and sure enough, before the word had finished coming out of Alex's mouth, I heard the familiar razor-sharp dangerous tones split through the hush in the other room.

"What's wrong, baby?" Scott spoke mockingly to the boy, "Aren't you hungry?"

He laughed maliciously and me and Alex locked eyes with each other. Our expressions were practically the same, wide-eyed and anxious as we listened in complete silence, barely breathing.

The sound of a metal chair scraping on the floor tiles. A few casual footsteps. Fingernails tapping out a random rhythm on the tabletop. Fearful whimpering, obviously from the young boy. I swallowed thickly. _Uh oh._ This wasn't going to be good. Not good at all.

"Maybe we should find you something else to eat, hm?" Scott sneered.

"N-no… p-p-please… d-don't… No! P-please!" The boy cried out before his youthful voice was cut off abruptly and replaced with a gurgling choking sound. I stiffened, all set to sprint right in there and throw myself between them, but almost as though sensing my intent, Alex grabbed me by the waist and lifted me up into the air like I was weightless and practically ran back through the living room, down the corridor and back up the stairs faster than I would've thought possible.

I struggled and squirmed in his grip as he carried me swiftly back to my room. I opened my mouth to shout and swear at him but he quickly transferred me under one arm and slapped his now-free hand back over my lips to keep me quiet. He wasn't holding my bloodstained dress anymore. He'd dropped it outside the kitchen door where we'd just been standing.

He didn't release me until we were safely back in my room and he'd slammed the door shut behind us. When my feet met the carpet once more, I spun to face my captor, the fires of Hell burning in my eyes.

"What the fuck was that?!" I snarled, moving so close that our noses were practically touching. Alex ran a hand through his long ebony bangs in agitation and looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Nothing… It was nothing…" He muttered without any real conviction.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Alex! Who was that down there?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it fucking does matter! Tell me his name!"

"You don't need to know. It's better that way." He tried to step away from me, but my hands flew up and I seized twin fistfuls of his black shirt, dragging back towards me with my newfound anger-fuelled strength.

"Why is it better I don't know his name?!" I demanded, teeth clenched and jaw set firm as I glared up into those dark green orbs above mine. Alex shook his head, not wanting to answer me, but it was obvious I wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

"Scott's pets don't usually last very long." He responded quietly, averting his gaze again. This only helped to increase my growing rage.

"_Tell. Me. His. Name._" I growled. Alex shot me a pained look.

"Renami, please –"

"JUST TELL ME HIS GODDAMN NAME, ALEX!!"

Silence stretched between us as the last echoes of my furious shout dissipated from the air. I didn't think he was going to answer me, but then he lifted his head reluctantly and met my eyes.

"Maxie. His name is Maxie."

_Maxie._ Slowly, I released Alex's shirt and turned my back on him, walking back over to my bed. Adrenaline zipped through my veins, filling me with fire. I wanted to rush Alex, sprint down to the kitchen and give Scott the beating of his lifetime. But not now. I can wait. I will wait. But when the time is right, that green-eyed bastard better watch his back… because I'll be right there behind him, free and vengeful. If I'm going to Hell, then by God, I'm taking him down there with me.

Alex made no move to follow me. A wise move on his part. I was so fired up for a fight, I didn't care who I was directing my hatred and fury at. And obviously in a fight I'd be the one who'd end up being the first on her back, being both half the height and weight of Alex and Scott, but I wasn't thinking rationally any more. Why should I? What's the point? Obviously if I want to get out of here, I was gonna have to start playing dirty.

"I'll go and get you some food, ok, Kitten?" Alex said. I twisted my head round to look at him. He was stood in the doorway, staring at me with an unreadable expression on his handsome face. Suddenly, another idea struck me and I laughed loudly, tossing my long hair back over my shoulder.

"Oh, I don't think so. I'm not eating anything while I'm here. Not now, not ever." I cackled, taking wicked satisfaction as Alex's face fell with shock.

"What are you saying? You won't eat?"

I grinned wolfishly at him.

"Nope."

"No!" Alex roared, his rage well and truly resurrected, "You're going to starve yourself? You can't do that! I won't let you!"

"Watch me."

He stared at me incredulously, his mouth gaping like a goldfish as he tried to speak but no words came out. No words could sum up exactly what he was feeling and what he wanted to say. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to shout, scream, throw a few punches… but he couldn't. He'd frozen, an Alex statue blocking the door.

Then he came to life again, hissing furiously as he glared at me, his eyes full of nothing but pure undiluted hatred.

"Fine. _Fine._ If that's the way you want to play this, then fine. Let's see how long you last without food."

"Longer than you'd last without me." I countered spitefully, smirking at him. Unable to retort with a comeback, he gave one last enraged snarl and spun on his heel, storming from the room and slamming the door shut behind him so hard that it practically unhinged itself from its wooden frame.

I chuckled quietly to myself as I let myself sink back down onto the mattress, my brief moment of triumph blocking out the pain of my injuries for a few seconds. The look on his face! Fucking priceless! But still, that had been a very dangerous move for me to make. Refusing to eat was about as suicidal as my last escape attempt, maybe even more so.

But hey, I'm playing dirty now. Upping the stakes. I'm not gonna be the weak submissive victim for him anymore. The only question is… who's gonna break first?

Well. Looks like I'm about to find out.

Guess what, Alex?

_Game on._

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**Cara: Ooooooh! This is getting serious now!! Oh, and I forgot to mention, we don't own the song "You'll be in my heart" by Phil Collins. I heard it, loved it, and added it in here. It fit well, I think. :D We're starting to learn more about Renami's past now... I should be a bit quicker on updates now. Exams are over! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!**

**Chiyo: Leave us a review, please. We'd really appreciate it.**

**Cara: Did you just say please?**

**Chiyo: Yes. Why?**

**Cara: *faints***

**:D**


	25. How D'you Like My Poker Face?

**Cara: (sat in a dark corner, scowling and snarling)**

**Chiyo: Whoa, who slipped you the happy pills?**

**Cara: I despise this chapter. And it despises me. We hate each other.**

**Chiyo: Um, why?**

**Cara: BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT I WROTE, IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THE WAY I WANTED IT TOO!!!!!!**

**Chiyo: Ooookay then. Maybe you people should read on while I restrain her, ok? Review for us, ta!**

* * *

Chapter 25:

Seto's POV:

Walking past Mokuba's bedroom, I saw that my brother was still sat in the same place he had been just over an hour ago, cross-legged on the carpet, his head hanging so his blue-tinted black hair fell to hide most of his face. Lying by his side was Gracie, Safiya's Border Collie bitch, her head resting in Mokuba's lap and both his arms wrapped tightly around her furry body, clutching onto her like a lifeline. I sighed softly as I stopped and let one hand rest against the doorframe, shaking my head in sympathy. Out of everyone affected by Renami's abduction, these two have taken it the hardest. Mokuba has barely said a word since the day of her kidnap, other than to ask daily if I've found something, _anything_, that could help us find her. Every time he asked me, he clutched onto my sleeve and stared deep into my eyes, his own indigo orbs wide and pleading, tears brimming and overflowing down his pale face. I hated admitting to my little brother that I had nothing. The look on his face just broke my blackened sorry excuse for a heart every damn time. _Poor kid._

"Mokie?" I spoke, my voice as gentle as I could make it as I stepped into the room. Slowly, Mokuba raised his head from where he'd buried it in the scruff of the Border Collie's neck and stared straight at me, his eyes empty and tear tracks glistening on his cheeks. Gracie lifted her head too and gazed at me with her mournful wide hazel eyes, equally as lifeless as Mokuba's.

"Have you found anything?" Mokuba murmured, as I knew he would, his voice a little hoarse from lack of use. I averted my gaze and shook my head, my knuckles clenched by my sides in anger. Not anger at my brother. Anger at myself for being so fucking helpless and useless. At the start, I'd been determined and quite confident that I'd easily be able to find Safiya, but now a week has passed and still nothing. She's completely disappeared off the face of the earth. It's like she didn't even exist in the first place.

A week. A whole fucking week and I wasn't any closer to finding her than I had been that first day! Dammit! Where was she? Who took her? What was I missing? She'd been kidnapped from the Kame Game Shop in broad daylight by five men, and now she'd vanished without a fucking trace. Only someone with as crappy luck as Renami Safiya could manage to land herself in a situation like that.

Mokuba's face crumpled in a way that made my insides twist with guilt and pity for the younger Kaiba, and before I even realised I'd moved, I crossed the room in about three strides, dropped to one knee and grabbed my brother in a tight hug, dislodging the dog from her resting place on his lap. Mokuba instantly responded to my uncharacteristic embrace, twining his arms around my neck almost hard enough to leave welts in my flesh as he pressed his face into my shirt, his shoulders heaving as sobs wracked through his small body.

"I'm so sorry, Mokuba." I murmured into his long hair as he clung to me, weeping into my chest, his tears soaking through the material. Gracie whimpered softly and nuzzled up close to us, comfortingly licking at Mokuba's neck and what little of his face was exposed. I reached out with one hand and stroked her soft ears, meeting her forlorn honey gaze with my own sapphire depths. Her and Mokuba have been inseparable these past seven days, united in their grief for Safiya. Originally, Short-ass Mutou was supposed to be looking after the Border Collie in her owner's absence, but since the Kame Game Shop was still a mess and his Grandfather hadn't yet returned from his trip to Egypt, Mutou has moved in temporarily with his slightly taller, spiky-haired boyfriend. I know, the dog could've still gone with the Spike Twins, but then Mokuba came along and decided that she would stay with us until Renami's return. And when a notoriously stubborn Kaiba decides something, there's nothing on the entire planet that could change his mind.

So now the Border Collie Gracie inhabited the Kaiba Mansion, and her and my little brother have bonded in a way I would probably never understand. They were practically joined at the hip. If you saw one of them, you knew the other wasn't far behind. They both found their comfort in each other.

Gracie licked my fingers sadly as Mokuba continued to cry, the thin fabric that covered my torso getting damper by the second. I sighed again and rested my head on top of his unruly blue/black mop, hating seeing my brother like this. What was it about Renami Safiya that had him pining after her like she was his mother? He'd only known her for little more than a month, for God's sake! Was I missing something, here? What could Safiya have _possibly_ said or done to make my brother fall completely head over heels for the purple-eyed, purple-haired teenage female? I had no idea whatsoever. And from the way things seem to be going, I don't think I ever will.

"I miss her, Seto," Mokuba murmured, his voice muffled by my shirt, " I miss her so much. I want her back. Please bring her back to me, Seto."

"I will bring her back, Mokie. I promised I would, and Seto Kaiba always keeps his word. You know that better than anyone." I replied, pulling away a little so I could look my brother straight in the eye, my hands gently resting on his shoulders. Mokuba stared up at me through red-rimmed indigo orbs and sniffled, reaching up with one arm to dry his cheeks with the sleeve of his stripy blue sweater.

"I know you promised me, Seto, but… but it's been seven days already and we haven't found anything!" He cried out in sorrow, more tears spilling over his eyelashes and snaking slick tracks down his face as he clutched twin fistfuls of my shirt desperately in his small hands. I winced at his words. The kid had a point. The longer Renami was missing, the emptier my promises became. She can't have evaporated into thin air, so where the Hell was she? By now I should have found a clue, a sign, a trail… something! But I had nothing. Fucking nothing! And time was running out way too fast…

Mokuba was still staring at me tearfully. I wanted to respond, to reassure him in some way that everything was going to be alright, but the words just got stuck in my throat and wouldn't come out, so instead I pulled him back into another bone-crushing hug, pouring all my comfort into our embrace rather than conversation.

I didn't realise I'd shut my eyes until I opened them again and caught sight of Rehema over my brother's shoulder, standing in the doorway with her arms hugged protectively around herself, her eyes swirling with soul-searing pain and loss as she met my gaze. Another person affected more than I thought possible by Safiya's abduction. Not that I blamed the housekeeper for that. After all, Safiya was her niece, the daughter of her dead sister, and was possibly the only living blood relative she has left. Losing someone you've only just found again after so long apart must be unbearable. I hope I never have to experience that feeling.

Rehema surveyed me sadly over Mokuba's head, her hands trembling slightly where they were tightly clasped around her huge stomach. Another pang of sympathy tore through my chest like a knife. God, I can't stand this! She's one girl! _One girl!_ Why has her disappearance taken such a toll on everyone? My housekeeper, the Border Collie bitch, Safiya's little gang of moronic friends, even my own brother, for crying out loud!

And as much as I tried to deny it… this was affecting me too. I'm not going to lie here. I can feel myself unravelling at the seams a little more with every passing day. At first I thought I'd be able to keep both locating Renami Safiya and my normal work for KaibaCorp at around the same level, equal in importance. But now… now finding Renami seemed to be overtaking my obligations of being the CEO of KaibaCorp. I have no idea why. The company kept being mentally pushed to one side in my skull, whilst Safiya was growing, filling up every available space. I just can't concentrate on anything else! And that just makes me even more determined to find her before she completely takes over my mind. In this business, you can't afford distractions. Gozuburo taught me that. Among other things.

"Mokuba," Rehema said in a quiet voice, alerting her presence to the boy still locked in my fierce hug. Mokie started in surprise, then unburied his head from my chest and twisted around to look at the housekeeper, still keeping himself glued to me like he was afraid I might too disappear if he let go.

"Rehema? Are you ok?" He asked her. It seemed like a stupid question to me, since it was all too painfully obvious that Rehema was anything but ok, but the genuine concern in my little brother's voice was enough to melt a heart as icy as mine. Which it succeeded in doing, as it always did.

Rehema's eyes softened as she gave my brother a small smile and brushed her long chocolate-brown curls back from her face with one shaky hand, composing herself as best she could before answering.

"Yes, I'm fine, Mokuba. Don't worry." She assured him. I felt Mokuba's hands clench a little tighter in the folds of my shirt. He could tell she was lying just as easily as I could.

Rehema must've noticed this too, because she averted her eyes away from both of us for a second, a pained look scrunching up her pretty face. When she met our gazes again, she made her way into the room carefully and crouched down in front of us as far as her pregnant stomach would allow, holding out a hand to my brother for him to take.

"Are you hungry, Mokie? I was just about to make something for us all. Do you want to come and help me?" Her tone was soft and neutral, but her eyes were desperate and pleading. Mokuba glanced up at me and I nodded, removing my arms from around him so he could stand up. Gracie was instantly by his side as the younger Kaiba slipped his hand into Rehema's with a reassuring smile that was immediately returned by the heavily pregnant woman, and the three of them left the room together, but not before Rehema looked back at me over her shoulder, the expression on her face a curious mixture of gratitude and disappointment. I stared right back at her until the trio rounded the corner and departed down the corridor, my face it's usual stoic mask, hiding my true emotions from the rest of the world. To be honest, I don't think I had enough muscles in my face to show all the emotions simultaneously rushing through me right now. A good thing too, or else I would've no doubt broken down as hard and fast as the rest of them.

Straightening up from my kneeling position on the floor, I brushed some non-existent dust from the front of my shirt and pants as I stared absently out of Mokuba's bedroom window, overlooking the lush grounds below. It was a beautiful day outside, warm and bright, not a single dark cloud to be seen in the calm blue skies. The water in the pool sparkled like liquid crystal, dazzling in the midday sun. Pretty ironic, really, considering how gloomy and depressing the atmosphere around the Kaiba mansion was.

I ran one hand through my chestnut locks in frustration and made my way over to the window, leaning forwards and allowing my forehead to rest against the sun-heated glass, closing my eyes. I needed some privacy right now, and where better a place to find privacy than inside my own head?

It was getting so hard for me to think straight, and even harder still to keep myself in check. Every day was like a fucking test on my mentality, I swear. My focus was being strained to its very limits. I was rapidly losing the fight, and Seto Kaiba hates to lose. Which is probably why I never do lose. Or rather, I never _did_ lose. Until now. Fucking Hell, Safiya. You're way more trouble than you're worth.

…_Or maybe it's because you're worth so much that you're in trouble._

I could see her. All I had to do was shut my eyes and she was there, a vivid image as clear as day in my mind… laughing and joking with her friends, scowling and glaring at me during our infamous banter battles, huddled alone on her doorstep, crying her heart out, cuts and bruises decorating her caramel skin… that caramel skin that was so _so_ soft to the touch, her delicious intoxicating vanilla scent, her long silky mane of pale lavender hair, that beautiful face equal to that of an angel and those eyes… God, those wide expressive amethyst eyes that sparkled like real jewels. Her lips, rose-petal soft against mine…

"Safiya," I whispered, my breath misting up the glass windowpane, "Renami… Where are you? Mokuba misses you. Your friends miss you. They all miss you so much."

I shut my eyes with an agitated growl and balled my hands into fists against the window frame, my knuckles stark white with the tension.

"So do I, Renami. I miss you too. More than you'll ever know."

I hated admitting it, even to myself. It was impossible and insane, but as much as I tried to deny it, it was the absolute truth.

"_I miss you so damn much_."

* * *

Renami's POV:

Ok. It's official. Not only is life a bitch, but it has puppies too. Yippee for me.

It's been seven days now. Seven days, and I was still locked up here in my bedroom prison shithole. No more house tours for me, oh no. Not now I've severely pissed off my captor with my obstinate determination not to eat a single thing during my captivity. And can I just point out something? This starvation thing I've got going on? Well… it wasn't going so well. This was _definitely_ my worst plan by far. No joke.

I feel so sick, it's unbelievable. My stomach was painfully empty and practically concave, and I've lost a little weight that I really didn't want to lose. Every time I stood up too quick, I went dizzy and got major head rush. I've even blacked out a fair few times. Much to Alex's annoyance. Not that he could do anything about it. He's tried sweet-talking me, threatening me, even going as far as forcing food down my throat himself, but so far no dice. I just threw it all up again in my ensuite bathroom at the first chance I got. Hey, I'm a stubborn bitch, alright? When I set my mind to something, you can bet your life I'll stick to it for as long as I possibly can.

The sun was just beginning to set beyond the horizon, but I could still feel the heat through the barred window I was standing in front of, staring out into the distance. This has kinda become a favourite pastime for me lately. There's nothing better to do around here. It's either gaze out of the window for hours on end, or sleep. And I'm seriously fed up of sleeping, so the window it is.

My stomach growled loudly and I glared downwards, curling my hand into a fist and punching it, mentally snarling at it to shut the Hell up. Yes, I _know_ I'm hungry! I don't need reminding every ten seconds, for fuck sake! As if this wasn't hard enough already without my body turning traitor on me too.

With my stomach momentarily silenced, I returned my attention to the world outside just beyond my reach. I still didn't know where I was. This house I was kept captive in looked to be in the middle of a forest of some kind, totally surrounded by thick lines of trees, nowhere near civilisation. Alex wouldn't tell me exactly where we were either. Every time I asked him, he just said, "Far away from Domino. Somewhere where nobody can find us." Which was absolutely fabulous news, since it meant I was gonna rot away here for the rest of my miserable life, with no hope of being miraculously rescued. Forgive me if I don't jump for joy. I'd probably pass out again.

Absently reaching up to my face with one hand, I gently touched my right cheekbone, wincing as my fingertips pressed against the fading bruise there. The result of another failed escape attempt earlier on in the week. Only this time it wasn't really all that subtle. I'd launched myself at him with all the fury of a woman scorned, an overwhelming powerful burst of anger and hatred destroying whatever rationality I had at that moment. Naturally, I never even made it to the door. Sure, I managed to get some good hits in, including clawing shallow scratches into his chocolate skin with my sharp nails and delivering a rather larger bite to his neck which I'd actually sunk my teeth in deep enough to draw blood, but it didn't matter. His one swift punch aimed directly at my face sunk me like a stone. I didn't even feel it until I woke up again a few hours later with a headache the size of Seto Kaiba's bank balance and ego combined.

_Seto Kaiba_… Huh, it's funny just how much I miss him. Well, not really _him_ personally, since he's the biggest egotistical bastard to ever walk the earth, but for some bizarre reason, I've really come to miss his company, mostly our heated confrontations and mutual hatred for each other. This might sound weird, but I would actually sell my soul just to have one last argument with the teenage CEO I love to hate before I die. Not that that's very likely to happen, thanks to my abusive controlling ex-boyfriend who just can't seem to grasp the fact that I'd rather impale my ass on a large cactus than fall back in love with him.

Although… to be honest… that idea was becoming more and more tempting every passing day. Not the cactus bit, since I have no desire to be sodomised by a spiky desert plant any time soon, thank you very much. But, I mean, what's the point in fighting him? What will it achieve? It's obvious I'm never gonna get outta this place whilst I'm still breathing, so why not give in and make it easier for myself? A part of me still does, and always will, love Alex, no matter how much I try to tell myself otherwise. He knows that too. He can see it, just by looking into my eyes. That's probably why he's fighting so hard to convince me back to his side. Alex won't be giving up any time soon, you can be sure of that. I know I bloody am.

Although I was practically wasting away to nothing more than skin and bone, I actually felt better than I had for a long time. My back didn't hurt so much now, thanks to my scars scabbing over to mend themselves. The scrapes on my wrists from the leather straps had completely healed, and so had the cut at my hairline from the door. Other than the bruise on my cheek and the starvation thing, I was doing fine. Physically. But not mentally. I was _far_ from fine mentally.

Sighing aloud, I raised my arm and pressed my right palm flat against the windowpane as though I was trying to reach through the transparent barrier. _I can't take this anymore. I'm not as strong as I thought I was. Help me, someone. Set me free from this Hellhole before I lose my mind completely. _

"Renami?" A familiar rich baritone inquired from behind me, making me jump as the unexpected voice tore me away from my thoughts. I spun around to face the opened doorway that was now blocked by a tall muscular figure holding a tray. The hand that had been on the window was now at my chest in an attempt to calm my heartbeat back to normal rhythm. I never heard him come in. Shit, he was like a fucking shadow, sneaking around without so much as a whisper, popping up out of nowhere and scaring me shitless every damn time. He does it on purpose, I'm sure.

Alex stepped into the room, further into the light. The expression on his handsome face was somewhere between concern and annoyance, but kinda more leaning towards the 'annoyance' side. I said nothing as I let my gaze move from his dark green eyes and travel down the well-built chest hidden beneath a layer of white material, coming to stop at the tray of food he had brought for me. He glanced down at the food in his grasp and then glared back up at me, his deep eyes narrowed almost into slits.

"I brought you dinner, Kitten. And this time, you _will_ eat it. Even if you knock it out of my hands again like you have done for the past seven days, I'll make you fucking eat it off the Goddamn carpet, understand?" He hissed dangerously, his knuckles white with tension from his grip on the tray. My pride mentally screamed at me to retort furiously, maybe even grab him by his long black hair tied back in a ponytail and smear his nose in what looked to be spaghetti bolognese sitting there oh so innocently on that tray. But I did neither. _I've had enough. This is driving me insane. I can't take it anymore._

Crossing the room in three easy strides, Alex placed the tray of food on the bed before marching his way around the bed to me, murderous determination practically radiating from every inch of his body. Oh Hell, today he was taking none of my bullshit. But today was different. Today I didn't intend to give him any bullshit.

"Alex, wait!" I cried out as he seized my wrist in one of his large dark hands, fully intent on dragging me over to the food on the bed. He rounded on me instantly, his eyes blazing like the flames of Hell. From here, I could easily see all the healing scratches on his face and arms from my fingernails, not to mention the huge bite mark on his throat, twin rings of teeth on top of a black/purple bruise. Ouch, that looked really painful. No wonder he was so pissed today. Obviously I hadn't yet been forgiven for my previous vampire imitation.

"Don't fuck with me today, Renami. Don't you _dare_." He spat warningly, tightening his grip on the wrist in his hold, just in case I tried to pull away, "I sick of you starving yourself just to prove a fucking point. Well, it's not happening anymore. I won't stand around and watch you kill yourself. Now get your ass over there and get eating. I'm not playing this game with you any longer."

"I'm not playing games, Alex. Please, just hear me out, ok?" I pleaded, clutching onto his hand that held mine. Something in my voice and my desperate hold made him pause and he turned slowly to look me dead in my amethyst eyes, his brow creased as he frowned in confusion. A flicker of surprise also darted across his features as he glanced at my paler hand gripping onto his. It was so brief that I almost missed it. Almost. But not quite.

"I'm listening." Alex said, using his free hand to impatiently flick a few stray bangs of ebony back from his face. I squirmed a little, feeling the tendons in my wrist grind against the bone in his unforgiving grip.

"Wait… can you let go of me just for a minute? You're… You're hurting me…"

His eyes hardened a little more, as did his grasp. I cried out as burning pain jolted up my arm as he twisted it to prove just how unmerciful he was feeling right now.

"No." He responded coldly, glaring down at me with those twin green ice shards glinting at me from in his skull. "What do you want, Renami? And don't even think about trying to talk your way out of anything, because it ain't happening."

I bowed my head, letting my long hair fall to hide my face from him. My hand was lax in his steely grip despite the pain, not even my fingers twitching as I made absolutely no move at all to rip myself away from him. Humble, quiet, completely docile before him. The perfect picture of submission. Just what he wanted from me.

"I wasn't going to try and talk my way out of anything," I murmured, my voice barely louder than a whisper, "I… I just can't take all of this anymore. The hatred, the pain… I don't want it. I'm tired, Alex… I'm so tired of fighting you…"

Alex inhaled sharply and his fingers that enclosed my wrist slackened slightly. I didn't have to look up at him to know his eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, and his jaw was practically resting on the carpet by his feet. Obviously he so hadn't been expecting that. Neither had I, to be honest. Only a week, and I'm already losing my grip. If the only way to cling to my fading sanity was to cling to my obsessive abusive ex-boyfriend, then so be it. I was long passed caring. I'd had enough.

"Being kept up here all alone… away from everyone and everything… it's given me chance to think. I remember what it used to be like, how we used to be… so young and so in love… It was amazing. I miss it so much, Alex. And now… now I understand why you brought me here. I'd forgotten what it felt like to love and be loved. You've opened my eyes again, Alex. You were always there for me when I needed you, especially after mom and Zahra… I took you for granted and I never realised just how much I needed you. Until now."

I still refused to meet his gaze, but I had no choice when he fully released my wrist and gently cupped my chin instead, bringing my head up so he could stare deep into my eyes. His face had lost virtually all traces of his earlier anger, his endless green orbs considerably softer as he fixed them on mine, brushing the soft flesh of my cheek with his thumb, his fingers ghosting over the still painful fading bruise his fist had left only a few days ago.

"Renami…" He started, but before he could finish I reached up with both hands and took his face in my palms, pulling myself closer to him. I felt a droplet of warm wetness trickle slowly down my cheek as I gazed up at him.

"Please… please forgive me, Alex," I cried, more tears brimming and threatening to overflow, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything! Please… take me back, I'm begging you! I need you, Alex. I don't want to be alone any more."

Alex's face was alight with such overwhelming happiness, although even that couldn't hide the astonishment and doubt from his expression. He couldn't believe it. Surely after all my futile struggles and various escape attempts in this past week, I wouldn't give in to him that easily. Maybe he thought I was leading him on, trying to trick him yet again. I stared him dead in the eye, letting him see the truth right there in my amethyst orbs.

"You… You really mean it?" Alex whispered, breathing heavily, hardly daring to let himself accept the impossibility of it all. His free arm wrapped itself around my slim waist, holding me even closer to his toned chest. The hand at my chin moved tenderly up my cheek, softly caressing as he brushed my lavender hair back from my face.

"I do." I whispered back, sliding my arms around his neck and nuzzling my cheek against his, purring softly like the kitten he'd so affectionately nicknamed me as, "I love you, Alex."

Pressing myself harder against his long muscular body, I tilted my head upwards and let our lips meet in a chaste loving kiss. It was brief, with no teeth or tongues involved, and we soon broke apart, still holding each other close.

We stared at each other for a long moment, our eyes roaming over the opposite face. Alex still looked a little confused, so I smiled at him reassuringly and pulled his face down to mine again, this time kissing him with a little more force, boldly swiping the tip of my tongue over his bottom lip.

Alex quickly took the hint and took control of the kiss, our lips moving together in perfect sync as he explored every inch of my mouth with his tongue. I moaned into his mouth, arching my back, my chest pressed even more firmly against his. He snarled hungrily and yanked me back towards him, kissing me so fiercely as though he was scared he'd never get another chance like this. My hands entangled themselves in his hair, relieving him of the band that held his long ebony locks back in a ponytail. A sleek curtain immediately fell to frame his face, flowing down his back like a waterfall of pure black onyx. He was so stunning; I just couldn't take my eyes off him.

Things were certainly getting heavy and serious really fast. Maybe too fast for Alex's liking, since when my fingers found their way to his shirt and started unbuttoning, he stopped kissing me and took hold of my wrists again, though not as painfully as before, and stopped me.

"What're you doing, Renami?" He asked, pulling away a little, his tone and expression solemn. I could tell he was fighting so damn hard to keep a leash on his arousal. He was panting heavily, the pupils of his eyes dilated slightly, but he strained to keep himself in check long enough to actually comprehend what was happening. What was there to comprehend? I've given in. I'm basically giving him the green light to go ahead and do whatever he wanted to do with me. Can't he understand good old-fashioned body language? Because my body was practically screaming at him to fuck me all the way to Hell and back. Seto Kaiba could understand it, for God sake, and he has all the human perception of a spoon.

I stared up at the dark-haired, dark-skinned man before me, my eyes clouded with thick waves of lust.

"I need you." I whispered, taking one of his hands and brushing my lips softly over his palm, "Take me now. I want you, Alex. Make me yours."

I glanced up at him playfully, smirking as seductively as my facial muscles would allow.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

His face split into an equally seductive wide grin, all other thoughts obviously forgotten, and I laughed softly as both his hands immediately found and clamped down on my ass, pulling my hips closer to his. Through the material of his jeans, I could feel that he was already so hard for me. That little fact made my smirk grow even broader in triumph.

_This was almost too easy._

We were swiftly kissing again, occasionally playfully nipping and licking each other's lips as I continued on from where I left off: Relieving him of his unwanted shirt.

I all but ripped the white fabric from his body, tossing the clothing aside and baring his gorgeously muscular upper half to the world. Reaching out with both hands, I started tracing random sensuous patterns with my fingertips and nails over the rich chocolate skin, slowly but surely making my way to his waistband.

Alex glanced back over his shoulder at the bed behind us. I dug my nails into his skin a little deeper than was really necessary, but it had the desired effect since he grunted in pain and returned his attention to me with a quizzical look plastered all over his handsome face.

"The bed?" I questioned impishly, leaning in to sooth the pink scratches with my tongue in a way that made Alex inhale sharply through his nose and bite back a groan. "Oh, come on. Don't be boring."

I tossed my lavender tresses back over my shoulder and started leading us in the opposite direction, encouraging him on with another mischievous smirk and lustful half-lidded eyes. Tilting his head slightly to see past me, Alex caught sight of my targeted destination.

"The dressing table?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow in amusement. I grinned back and licked my lips, fingernails scraping lightly over his nipples.

"Why not? A little originality never hurt anyone." I laughed as he lifted me up in his arms, allowing me to wrap both my legs around his waist and grind downwards onto his clothed erection. Alex let out a deep feral growl at that and all but slammed me backwards onto the tabletop, silencing my cry of pain by slamming his mouth over mine once more.

"_Alex…_" I moaned like a bitch in heat as he left my lips and instead trailed kisses down my throat, to my heaving chest. His hands scrabbled behind me, trying to unfasten the laces of the corseted white dress, but judging by the frustrated swearing he hissed under his breath, he wasn't getting very far. I bit back a cruel chuckle and leaned in to bite his earlobe, raising my hips into his as I did so.

"Fuck this!" Alex snarled, abandoning his struggles with the corset, his hands flying instead to the skirt, hoisting the material up to my waist before he started working on his own belt buckle.

A wide vampire grin spread across my face as I watched him unbuckle his belt and start fumbling with the button and zipper. I wrapped one arm around his neck, my other hand reaching out of sight behind me.

"Hey, Alex…" I murmured, tucking a few strands of black hair behind his ear. My fingers closed around the object I'd been searching for on the dressing table and held onto it tight, ready for me to use it for the second time during my imprisonment.

"Mm?" Alex replied absently, concentrating more on unfastening his jeans rather than paying attention to me. Mistake, Alex. Big mistake. Because if you were taking more notice of me, you'd realise on how many levels you've just screwed yourself.

I locked my thighs tighter around him and put my face next to his, my lips brushing against his earlobe with every word I whispered.

"How d'you like my poker face?"

Alex instantly froze as the meaning of my words sunk into his thick skull, then flung his head up to stare at me wide-eyed with pure incredulity. And that's when I smacked him over the head with the same silver-plated comb I'd thrown at the light bulb in my first escape attempt.

Despite my rapidly fading strength, I didn't half deliver one Hell of a blow to his cranium, and he fell away from me like a discarded coat. Needless to say, he was unconscious well before he even hit the ground. Ouch, someone's going to have the mother of all migraines when he wakes up. _If_ he wakes up at all. Not that I'm gonna stick around long enough to find out.

I exhaled shakily, giving myself a few seconds to try and fight off the exhaustion and hunger pains that were starting to raise their ugly heads once again. My head was spinning and black began to slowly creep across my vision, my entire body trembling, growing weaker and heavier by the second. But I wasn't about to let that stop me from getting outta here, as far away from this place as I possibly could. So what if I have no idea where the exit was? Alex was out for the count, and since Scott didn't come running the moment I'd clonked my beloved ex hard enough on the head to drop his IQ down a couple notches, I don't think the second green-eyed tormentor was watching the live video feed via the camera still surveying my room from the ceiling. So Scott has no idea that I was making yet another break for freedom. Perfect. A lucky break. About fucking time too.

Time was of the essence now. I jumped up from the dressing table, struggling to overcome the sudden swirl of dizziness that almost brought me to my knees. I was in really bad shape. _So tired… so hungry…_ I just hope I have enough energy left in me to make it out of here before I collapse.

Cautiously, I stepped over the still form of my dear heartbreaker, careful not to catch him with my feet. As much as I would've loved to kick his abusive ass all the way into next year whilst he was facedown and drooling on the carpet, I couldn't risk him waking up before I had chance to run for it. So I resisted the urge. Barely.

"You're so gullible, Alex." I sneered as made my way past him, towards the door which he'd forgotten to lock behind him when he came into my room. "What makes you think I'd fall back in love with you just like that? After everything you've done to me? Huh. You're even more desperate and pathetic than I thought."

He didn't so much as twitch at my vicious scornfulness, and when I made it to the doorway, I looked back at him over my shoulder with a triumphant smirk.

"Sweet dreams, asshole. I would say that I'm sorry I won't be here when you wake up, but I know how you feel about me lying. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life without me."

With that final parting contemptuous message, I left the room and pulled the door shut behind me. I should've locked it, but I was so focused on escaping that I didn't even hesitate and started sprinting down the long corridor, heading straight for the staircase. A fatal mistake. Mine this time.

Adrenaline zipped through my body like fire, filling my weakened limbs with a much-needed extra burst of strength as I raced for freedom.

Only I never made it.

Apparently, I hadn't hit Alex as hard as I first thought. Another fatal mistake. More fatal than I could've ever thought possible. Now I was in some of the most seriously deepest shit I've ever been in my entire life. And it pretty much went downhill from there.

"RENAMI!!!" I heard him roar at the top of his lungs, obviously no longer far away in Dreamland. Footsteps pounded and I shot a look back over my shoulder just in time to see my captor come barrelling through the door like a steam train, his dark green eyes blazing with nothing but pure rage as he charged down the corridor after me. In a way, I was kinda glad he was behind me, since being chased by a psychotic raging ex boyfriend succeeded in making me double my getaway speed, my legs practically a blur as I pelted for the stairs. If I was scared before, Hell, I was fucking livid now!

And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, good old Lady Luck decided to piss on my grave once more.

"What the fuck has that stupid bitch done this time?!" A dangerous, severely pissed off voice that made my blood run ice cold in my veins shouted back in response to Alex's furious bellow. The door beside the staircase opened, and out stepped the human equivalent of Satan himself, his narrowed emerald eyes almost snake-like, glinting brightly even in the dull glow from the lights above our heads.

My heart plummeted all the way to my feet as numbing realisation struck me like a lightning bolt. _I'm not going to make it._ There's no way on earth that I can get past both of them. Fuck, this wasn't going to end well. Someone's about to get hurt, and I have a sick feeling that it's going to be me.

But I didn't slow down. I just kept right on running. Suicidal, I know, but I'd rather go down fighting the two of them instead of cowering in a corner. Fuck rational thinking, I'm going caveman.

Scott's eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight rapidly approaching him. Comprehension dawned almost immediately and his lips turned upwards into that all-too familiar evil smirk of his, his eyes sparkling maliciously as he leaned casually against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for me. I couldn't help noticing that there was a dark red stain splattered down the front of his shirt. Whatever he'd been doing in his room before me and Alex interrupted, there was no doubt in my mind that it involved some sharp object and his latest 'pet', that poor young boy Maxie I saw in the kitchen with him last week.

"Well, well, well, Alex." Scott chuckled loudly, "You should keep that bitch of yours on a shorter leash!"

I wanted to retort to the bitch remark, but now I was just running purely on adrenaline and it felt like my brain was detached from the rest of my body. All I could do was run, and brace myself for the huge amount of pain I was about to feel in a matter of minutes when one or both of them caught me and put me to sleep for a while, only a little more effectively than my failed attempt with Alex and the silver comb.

I was almost at the stairs now, and I risked another glance behind me. Alex was way closer than I expected him to be, obviously running on a deadly combination of rage and adrenaline rush of his own. He reached out for me with one large hand, dangerously close to seizing a handful of my long hair that whipped out behind me as I ran.

As much as I didn't want to, I had to throw on the brakes or go speeding straight into Scott's expectant arms, so I slowed down a fraction. Yet another mistake to add to my growing list.

I nearly made it. Of course, 'nearly' wasn't quite enough. One hand flailed out behind me as I made to dart around the banister to the stairs, and Alex clamped down on it in a grip of steel, almost hauling me clean off my feet.

"Let go of me!!" I shouted, straining to pull myself away from him, grabbing onto the banister with my free hand to keep him from dragging me back. My arms burned with the force, so damn close to popping right out of their socket I could practically feel it.

"NO!!" Alex snarled through gritted teeth as he kept his unbreakably strong grip on me, "You're staying here! I'm never going to let you leave!! You're mine, Renami!!"

Throughout this whole exchange, Scott barely moved an inch. He didn't do anything to help Alex restrain me. He was just a spectator in this. Good news for me, since it meant that I only had one to deal with instead of two.

"I'll never be yours! Not after everything you've done to me! I hate you! _I fucking hate you!!_"

I started yanking my arm even harder in my bid to get out of his grasp, blocking out the pain as I screamed at him with every vicious pull.

"LET… ME… _GO!!_"

I gave one last brutal jerk, using the absolute last reserves of my strength at the same time as heaving my entire body back for double the force. To mine and Alex's complete amazement, it was enough to rip my wrist from his firm hold and send us both reeling away from each other. Luckily for Alex, he stumbled a little on the carpet then righted himself almost instantly. Unluckily for me, during that final fierce effort, I almost blacked out as head rush once again sliced into my head like a knife and I staggered a little too far.

I barely had a split second to register that the ground had vanished from under my feet before I was falling, lurching backwards down the staircase.

It wasn't a graceful descent, not by a long shot. I felt every single fucking step as they collided with various parts of my body. I crashed down those stairs, praying for unconsciousness with every blow, but all I got was more pain. At one point, my right shoulder slammed awkwardly against the unforgiving wood and an explosion of unbearable white-hot agony damn near tore me apart.

Eventually, I came to a bloodied, bruised heap at the bottom of the stairs, gasping at the overwhelming pain spreading from my shoulder, across my chest and down my arm. _It hurts!! Oh, God, it hurts so much!!_ I couldn't move, only lay bleeding on the floorboards, my head resting on the bottom step as I cradled my injured arm to my chest.

"_RENAMI!!!_" Alex shouted, only this time in shock and horror instead of rage. I hadn't the strength to lift my head to look up at him, but I could hear his footsteps come thundering down the stairs as he raced towards me. A familiar curtain of black started descending over my vision once more, and I welcomed it. Anything to get away from this intolerable agony.

Alex jumped the last couple of steps and hurriedly dropped to his knees, gathering me up in his arms. I cried out in pain as he touched my arm.

"Shit." He muttered, then smoothed back a lock of bloodstained hair from my bloodstained face, "Hold on, Kitten. Stay with me. You're going to be ok, everything's going to be fine."

He briefly examined my arm, and swore again. His voice was starting to sound a little distant.

"Scott!" He called back up the stairs to the other green-eyed demon. Obviously he hadn't moved an inch during my fall. "She's hurt! Her arm… it's dislocated, maybe even broken… and who knows what else is broken? We need to take her to the hospital!"

"You can't be serious," Scott replied, contempt barely hidden in his tone, "We can't take her to the hospital, you idiot! She'll be recognised! We'll be arrested! Again! I'm not getting thrown back in jail because of your pathetic little whore, Alex!"

Whatever Alex's retort to that was going to be, it faded away as a thick blanket of darkness caressed my brain and tipped me over the edge into a beautiful painless, dreamless slumber…

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**Chiyo: Sorry for the late update on this, but finally it is here! Anyways, leave us a review, tell us what you think!**

**Cara: I'll tell you what_ I _think!! EPIC FAIL!!!!!!**

**Chiyo: ( 'accidentally' knocks Cara out with a silver plated comb. ) Oops. My bad. :D**


	26. Playing a Dangerous Game

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Cara: Heya everyone! God it's been so long since I've updated this, sorry! I've just been so busy lately and my story-writing skills have taken a battering thanks to the GCSEs that are slowly dissolving my brain.

**Chiyo: So finally she gets her ass in gear and forces out this chapter. It was painful, believe me.**

**Cara: Oh, it was. It's so hard getting back into this but I think I'm getting my flair back. :D Hopefully. Oh, and I'm going on holiday in a few weeks, and if we're lucky we might even get another chapter up before we go? Fingers crossed! **

**Chiyo: Anways, on with the long-awaited chapter 26.**

**Cara: I hope we haven't lost any of our reviewers. :( By the by, this chapter is dedicated to my three buddies Alexandra, Clare and Danielle! Hope you like it girls! ^^ Read on and review for us please! I want to know if people are still interested in this. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 26:

_//Memory//_

_I wasn't feeling too great. From the very moment I'd woken up, I had the feeling that today was going to suck some serious ass, and that suspicion was quickly confirmed when I dragged myself out of the divine warmth of my bed and my stomach lurched in such a way that I had to sprint full-pelt for the bathroom, both hands clamped over my mouth until I made it to the toilet bowl, which I promptly threw up into._

_When I finished vomiting up yesterday's dinner, I clutched onto the toilet seat, shivering violently as I breathed shallowly through my mouth, trying to ignore the burning sensation at the back of my throat. Shit! I don't think I've ever felt so ill in all my fourteen years of living. Well, almost fourteen. Fourteen tomorrow, actually. Trust me to catch some sort of sick virus the day before my birthday! Fucking typical._

"_Nami?" Came a voice from behind me. I knew who it was immediately. Despite being eight years old now, my little sister has never really grown out of using the shortened baby version of my name she always called me by when she was younger. But I didn't mind. I liked it when she called me 'Nami'. It sounded cute. And it sounded even cuter still spoken with her slight lisp._

"_Nami? Are you ok?" Zahra asked from the door of the bathroom which I hadn't had time to close in my haste not to redecorate Mom's new carpet with the contents of my stomach. I glanced at her over my shoulder, noticing the concern in her amethyst eyes and all over her young features. She had her hair in plaits today, fastened with red bobbles with little cherries on them. She looked really pretty. But then again, she always looked really pretty._

"_Yeah, I'm fine." I assured her, my voice a little hoarse. I tried clearing my throat, but that just made it burn twice as fiercely, so I flushed the toilet and tried to heave myself to my feet. Zahra was by my side in an instant, helping me up._

"_You don't look fine. I heard you being sick. Are you ill?" She said, nibbling her bottom lip with worry. I chuckled thickly, leaning against her for support. My head was throbbing painfully and my legs felt like they were made of jelly._

"_Am I ill? I love your powers of deduction, Zaz."_

_Zahra glared at me, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling._

"_Don't you get sarky with me, big sis." She pouted playfully, shaking her head at me and giving me a gentle poke in the ribs. Then she grew serious again and studied my face intently, her brow furrowing into a frown._

"_You look terrible."_

_I snorted through my nose, brushing my hair back from my sweaty forehead._

"_Gee, thanks, Zahra. You sure know how to flatter a girl, don't you?" I retorted, letting go of her and making to get past her, but she held onto my arm firmly, preventing me from moving anywhere. Damn, she may only be eight, but she hasn't half got some strength in those arms of hers._

"_I'm being serious, Renami." I winced at her use of my proper name. Did I really look that bad? I must do, if she's calling me 'Renami'. "I'm gonna go get Mom. You stay in here, ok?"_

"_Sure thing, little sister." I replied, giving her a tired wave as she left the room as fast as her small legs could carry her. I heard her shouting for Mom, and Mom answered with a shout of her own before hurried footsteps started up the staircase. With a grunt of mixed frustration and annoyance, I closed the toilet lid and sat down on it, kneading at my forehead with my fists. God, I felt like crap. Worse than crap. And judging by the expression on my Mom's face when she rounded the corner with my little sister and caught sight of me, I'm guessing Zahra wasn't exaggerating when she said I looked terrible. So I looked like crap too, as well as feeling like it. Great. Just fucking brilliant._

"_Whoa," Was all Mom said. It was all she needed to say. Her face said it all. "Don't take this the wrong way, Honey, but you look – "_

"_Terrible. I know. It's already been established, thanks to one Zahra Safiya." I smiled weakly. Mom shook her head fondly and moved closer to me, bending down so she could feel at my forehead with the back of her hand._

"_Whoa," She repeated, "You're burning up, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?"_

"_Perfect. Wonderful. Never better." I responded, pushing my Mom gently out of the way so I could pull myself up off the toilet seat and make my way over to the bathroom mirror to see just how terrible I looked._

"_Are you always this sarcastic when you're ill?" Zahra commented from the doorway, raising one delicate eyebrow. I threw her a dark glare from across the room._

"_No, it's just that time of the month." I shot back, sarcasm dripping from every word. And then I stupidly chose that moment to look at my reflection in the mirror._

_At the sight I saw, I jerked back in unexpected shock, nearly taking out the sink with my elbow._

"_Holy – " I started to curse, but then my Mom cut across me with a stern look on her beautiful face._

"_Renami." She warned, glaring at me._

" – _Sugarmuffins." I finished lamely, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, "Sorry Mom."_

"_That's better." Mom said, then her firm scowl morphed into one of her usual wonderful wide grins. "Nice recovery, by the way. Sugarmuffins. Never heard that one before. Maybe I should call you that from now on."_

"_Don't even think about it, Mom." I grinned back. Slowly, I returned my attention to the mirror, this time knowing what to expect. And I honestly did look terrible. My face was pasty and pale, sweat-slicked lavender hair sticking to my forehead. My amethyst eyes were ringed with dark circles, and my lips were chapped and cracked. I seemed to be quite a lot thinner and more gaunt than I had been yesterday too, almost skeletal, which was really kinda freaky. _

"_Damn." I muttered, combing through my damp tresses and puffing out my cheeks a little to see if it made me look any better. It didn't. Epic failure._

"_Come here," Mom smiled, chuckling at my futile attempts to make myself look anywhere near half human as she took a flannel from the sink, held it under the tap for a moment, then pulled me towards her and dabbed at my face with it._

"_Mom!" I whined, squirming in her firm yet somehow tender grip, "Quit fussing, will you? I'll be alright. Christ, you'd think I've never been sick before!"_

"_Stop complaining and stand still!"_

"_Oh, for crying out loud, mother!"_

_A familiar burst of sweet youthful laughter interrupted us, and we both looked over to the doorway, Mom still reaching for me with the damp flannel whilst I held her back at arms length as far away as I could. Zahra was practically doubled-over she was laughing that hard, gripping onto the doorframe with both hands to keep herself on her feet._

"_You two are so funny when you argue!" She giggled, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes._

"_I'm glad you find it so amusing! She's trying to suffocate me with a flannel!"_

"_Well, if you kept your mouth shut, I wouldn't have to!" Mom retorted, a smile playing at her lips as she flicked the flannel at my face so droplets of water leapt from the cloth and attacked me._

"_Hey!"_

_Both of them were laughing at me now, so I had no choice but to join in. That is, until a violent coughing fit kinda cut short the merriment and damn near killed me as I choked on nothing but air molecules. Luckily for me, Zahra decided to step in and thump me a few times on the back until my airway cleared again._

"_Come on, Nami. Lets get you back into bed. You look seconds away from passing out." She said, blinking up at me with fear for her big sister's health and well-being swimming in her wide bambi orbs._

_To be honest, I think I was actually seconds away from passing out, but I wasn't about to admit defeat, even though stomach was still a little queasy and churned uncomfortably. Something tells me I might be making another race for the bathroom sometime soon._

_I started to protest and was all set to do whatever I had to do to convince them both that I was absolutely __**fine**__, but before I could, Zahra slipped her small hand into mine and hit me with the full force of those sparkling amethyst puppy dog eyes that just melted me on the spot._

"_Please?" She pleaded. I groaned in defeat and nodded once, allowing her to lead me back to my bedroom, our Mom not too far behind._

"_You can never resist those angelic eyes of hers, can you?" Mom commented. I grunted in response, annoyed that I'd been won over so easily. Mom chuckled softly and ruffled my long hair from behind. I would've pulled away since I was still being difficult, but I've always loved it when Mom ruffled my hair. Call me weird, but I can't help it. It's like a comfort thing, y'know?_

"_Can you blame me? They're lethal weapons! Seriously, Zaz, you could take over the world with those things!" I grinned weakly as my little sister giggled and released my hand so I could climb back into bed. Both she and Mom pulled the quilt up to my chin and smiled at me as I snuggled back down into the Heavenly soft mattress and gave a small sigh of contentment._

_Mom bent down and brushed my hair back from my eyes._

"_You just get yourself a few more hours of sleep, Darling. We should be back by then." She said softly. I nodded tiredly, my eyelids sliding shut as her words sluggishly seeped into my brain._

"_You should be back?" I mumbled into the sheets, fighting to keep my eyes open as I tried to understand what she was telling me, "Why? Are you going somewhere?"_

_And that's when realisation suddenly struck. My eyes flew wide open as I sat bolt upright in my bed, nearly headbutting my Mom in the process, staring at them both in pure horror._

"_Oh Mom! Oh no! No, no, no! I can't be ill!" I gasped out, remembering exactly where we needed to be today, "Not now! I have to go with you! Please, I have to go!"_

"_Renami…" Mom soothed me hurriedly, attempting to make me relax and lay back down, but I wasn't having any of it. No! Why today of all days? I'd rather have been ill tomorrow, on my birthday, instead of today! Shit!_

"_No! I can't! I just can't! I have to –" I struggled to pull myself up and failed miserably. It didn't stop me trying though._

_By some miracle, I'd actually managed to push Mom back and swing my legs out of the side of the bed, but then a small yet determined purple-haired child placed both hands firmly against my chest to hold me back._

"_Nami, it's ok." Zahra said softly, her amethyst eyes calm and steady as she stared at me with a smile that held no blame, and that immediately made me feel guiltier than ever. I tore my gaze from hers and tried to force myself up onto my elbows again, but my little sister kept me securely in place._

"_No, it's not ok!"_

"_Nami, calm down. It's no big deal. I'll be fine."_

"_No big deal? Are you insane? Of course it's a big deal, Zahra!!" I shrieked, my voice about an octave higher than it usually was._

_Zahra sighed in exasperation as I continued to struggle against her, my head pounding so furiously that I could barely think straight. But I didn't care. I'm getting out of this bed and going with them even if my lifeless corpse has to be dragged there!_

"_Renami, please." Mom begged, appearing beside my sister to help keep me pinned down to the mattress, "You're in no condition to go anywhere, and you know that. Even if you did come to the hospital with us, they wouldn't let you in just in case you contaminated everyone else in there, Love. So just lay back and relax. We won't be gone too long."_

_My eyes flickered from Zahra's to Mom's, then back to Zahra's again, my hands gripping onto both of theirs in a vain attempt to stop them from leaving._

"_You don't understand! I __**have**__ to go! I __**need**__ to be there for you, Zahra!" I cried out desperately, pleading with my younger sister. Zahra frowned and shook her head sadly at me, her thumb stroking the back of my hand in tender calming circles._

"_You don't need to be so protective, Nami. I'll be ok. You know what they're going to do and what's going to happen, and you know I'm going to be absolutely fine at the end of it, so stop worrying about me, alright?"_

"_I can't help it." I grumbled in response, my body relaxing back into the covers as I give up my futile resistance against them, my head sinking into my pillow, soothing my ferocious headache a little. Not much, but still, it was an improvement. "It's my fault you have to go to hospital every damn week anyway."_

_Both Mom and Zahra instantly opened their mouths to protest vehemently, as they always did when I mentioned the subject, but before the words could leave their lips, I cut across them, raising my voice so I couldn't hear them._

"_Don't say a word! Either of you. We all know I'm the one to blame, and if you even think about saying otherwise, I swear to God, the next time I throw up, I'll aim it in your direction!"_

_They didn't look amused, but then again I hadn't expected them to. The truth was the truth after all. A few weeks ago, I'd been in the kitchen making coffee for the three of us. The kettle had just boiled, and I picked it up to pour the hot water into our mugs when a loud noise ripped through the otherwise silent air of the room, startling me and making me spin around quickly to find out what it was. All it had been was my sister coming into the kitchen and accidentally knocking over a chair. Unfortunately for her, she'd been stood directly behind me when the chair fell, and when I spun round, I'd taken the kettle with me. Scalding water had burst from it and caught Zahra full on in the stomach before either of us had the chance to realise what was happening. Her screams as she dropped to the floor and writhed in pain I knew would stay with me until the day I died._

_Severe second-degree burns covered her entire midriff, her flesh immediately bursting into an angry red bubbling mess. Luckily Mom had been at home with us that day, and we'd taken Zahra to the hospital as soon as we could. But the damage had already been done. Now every week we had to go back to the hospital for her to have the dead skin removed and hydrotherapy to treat the scarring. The whole thing had been a total ill-fated accident, and both Mom and Zahra forgave me instantly. But I didn't, and no doubt will __**never**__ forgive myself. I've permanently scarred my sister for life, thanks to me being a complete fucking idiot._

_I go to the hospital with her every time. Even on days when I'm supposed to be at school, I skip it to be there with my sister at the burn clinic. She's fine with the hydrotherapy, but when it comes to the dead skin removal, she faints every single time. I sit with her and hold her hand, letting her squeeze whenever it hurts to take her mind off it, practically crushing my bones to dust until she passes out. I feel guilty as Hell when she has to go through this once a week, every week until the burn and scars have completely faded, but I don't think they ever will. And even if they do eventually disappear, the memory of them will always be there for me._

"_Renami," Zahra said, rolling her eyes as her frown deepened and she shook her head at me, "When are you going to get it through your thick skull that it wasn't your fault?"_

_I scowled moodily back at her and crossed my arms over my chest._

"_When you get it through your thick skull that it was."_

"_Girls…" Mom groaned, knowing from past experiences exactly where this conversation was undoubtedly heading, "Do you really need to have one of your infamous heated sisterly disagreements right now?"_

_Me and Zahra glanced at each other briefly, then turned our sights back to our mother._

"_Yes!" We agreed simultaneously, wide grins spreading across our faces. We burst out laughing once more, clutching at each other in our mirth as Mom sighed heavily and slapped a palm to her forehead, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I'm getting way too old for this."_

_Waiting for our giggles to subside, she put her hands on her hips and smiled fondly down at her purple-eyed, purple-haired daughters, deftly flicking her long silky tresses back over one shoulder._

"_Alright, you mentally unstable children of mine." Mom spoke when we settled and she deemed us quiet enough, "We need to get going. Zahra, go and get your shoes and coat on, and Renami, you better stay in this bed and if you're not asleep when we get back, I swear I'll make your life so miserable you'll wish you were never born. Am I clear?"_

_Her expression and tone had turned deadly serious and her eyes blazed deep into mine, almost daring me to disobey her. I gulped and nodded meekly in submission, pulling the quilt further up to my chin. After all, some battles are won by surrender, as I've come to find out the hard way. Especially in cases like this._

"_Crystal clear, Mom."_

"_Good." She sniffed, satisfied, then grinned widely at me and bent down to smooth the damp strands of hair back from my face, kissing me tenderly on the forehead._

"_Get some rest, Sweetheart. We'll be back before you know it." She whispered softly, ruffling my lavender locks once more before she straightened back up, which made me feel a little better than I did a few seconds ago. I smiled up at her, mentally thanking each and every God in existence that Kiani Safiya was my mother. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. I love her so much._

"_You better be." I replied. Mom chuckled and drew back from me and my bed, allowing Zahra to skirt around her and approach me, smiling angelically. She was supposed to be downstairs getting ready to leave for the hospital, like Mom told her to, but Zahra would never leave without saying goodbye to me, and nor would I to her. I'm so grateful that she's my sister. Another mental thanks going up there to anyone listening right now. Me, Zahra and Mom are the only family I need. I don't even miss my father, since as far as the three of us are concerned; the man stopped existing the moment he walked out on us. We don't need him. We have each other, and that's all we could ever want._

_Zahra wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. With a smile, I returned her embrace, albeit a little more weakly, burying my face into her soft hair. Her sweet cherry blossom scent filled my nose, more relaxing to me than the bed ever could be._

"_Bye Nami," She murmured into my neck, her head resting against my collarbone. She giggled softly at a thought that suddenly occurred to her and she lifted her chin, fixing her amethyst gaze on my own._

"_Looks like I'm gonna have to get someone else's hand to crush when they're getting rid of the skin, huh?" She beamed with those pearly white teeth of hers, dimples dinting her cherubic cheeks. I chuckled and hugged her close again, feeling the steady thumping of her heart vibrating through my own chest._

"_And someone else to pass out on, too." I grinned, then winced as she prodded me in the ribs a little harder than was really necessary in retaliation._

"_Hey, hey, watch it, Zahra. Don't poke too hard unless you want me to throw up on you." I teased. Even though that was just a joking comment, my stomach lurched unexpectedly and I had to clamp my lips together tight, my hands gripping fistfuls of Zahra's shirt in my furious determination not to do what I warned my little sister could happen._

_Zahra felt me tense beneath her and pulled away a little, my hands still clenched in the clothing covering her back as she blinked at me with her large doe purple orbs._

"_Are you sure you're going to be ok?" She asked worriedly, biting her lip anxiously as she cast a sceptical eye over me. I was shivering again and I felt about as good as a mouse that'd just been run over by a truck, but I smiled weakly up at the younger Safiya in a way that I hoped was reassuring, and not a pained grimace, which, knowing my luck, would most likely be the latter._

"_I'll be alright. Don't you worry about me. Just get yourself to the hospital and get those burns seen to, yeah?"_

_Zahra nodded, returning my smile. I released my hold of her shirt and sunk back into the mattress as she straightened up. She turned to leave, and that's when I was struck with a sudden idea._

"_Wait." I said, reaching out and catching hold of her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She looked back at me, her expression quizzical. And it got even more quizzical when I leaned over the bed and yanked open the top drawer of my bedside cabinet, rooting around inside it with my free hand._

"_Renami, what're you – ?" She started to say, but I cut across her with a triumphant "AHA!!" and practically punched my fist into the air, the object I'd been searching for clutched tight in my hand._

_I held it out to her. She tilted her head to one side in curiosity and opened her palms to accept it._

"_Here," I smiled gently, uncurling my fingers above her waiting hands. A glint of silver and the slight jangle sound of metal against metal, and Zahra stared at her hands in disbelief, her mouth hanging open._

"_But this is…"_

"_Yeah, I know. I want you to have it." I said softly, pushing her hands back to her. Zahra blinked dumbly down at what she held, her eyebrows furrowing into a confused frown._

_She lifted her head and met my gaze._

"_Why?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. I shrugged, the way she gaped at me making me feel self-conscious and embarrassed._

"_So you know I'll always be right there with you, even when I'm not." I replied, blushing at how corny that sounded. Seriously, that statement couldn't have been any more sappy if it tried. Oh, I have such a way with words, don't I? Such a way to make me look a complete tool. Yippee for me._

_It did the trick though. Zahra's eyes filled up and she threw her arms around me, hugging me so fiercely that I could've sworn I felt most of my ribs snap simultaneously._

"_Thank you! I love you so much, Nami!!" She gushed, oblivious to the fact that not only was her embrace pretty damn painful to say the least, but I was slowly turning blue from lack of oxygen._

"_Zah…ra… can't… breathe…" I wheezed. Zahra started in the realisation that she was crushing my lungs and pulled back, smiling sheepishly as she rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand. I chuckled, gently pulled her forwards as I took my gift from her hands and secured the delicate chain around her neck, letting the intricately decorated silver locket fall to rest against her chest. Zahra looked down at the locket and clasped her hand tight around it, clutching it like a lifeline._

"_Thank you." She murmured softly. I leaned forwards and placed a kiss on her forehead, grinning when I pulled back again, and then she turned and left my bedroom to get ready to go, but not before sparing me a parting glance and a smile over her shoulder._

_Me and Mom watched her go before Mom turned her attention back to me. I caught sight of the unusual expression on her face and it took me a moment to figure out exactly what it was. Pride, confusion, sadness and so much love all mixed into one. I don't know why, but that look set my stomach churning again, but not because of my illness this time. It was apprehension._

'_Something isn't right.' My subconscious whispered to me, and although I tried to ignore it, I couldn't stop my hands tightening on the bedcovers so much that my knuckles were turning white._

"_What was that for?" Mom asked. I blinked, confused._

"_What was what for?"_

"_Why did you give her your locket?" Mom said, tilting her head to one side as she stared at me inquisitively._

_I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, not really knowing how to answer. Maybe because I didn't actually __**have**__ an answer. There'd been no real reason behind it, just a spur-of-the-moment thing._

"_I dunno. I just wanted to. I can't explain it." I sighed, hoping my lame attempt at explanation was enough for her. Mom looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned warmly down at me._

"_It's not like you're never going to see us again, you daft girl!" She laughed good-naturedly, and I couldn't help but grin back. Mom reached out and took one of my hands in hers, squeezing gently._

"_You're a good girl, Renami. You care so much for Zahra and me. I couldn't have asked for better daughters than you two."_

_I smiled and squeezed her hand back, then released her as I lay back in my bed and wrapped the covers around me to keep warm._

"_See you later, Mom."_

"_Goodbye Renami, my little Sugarmuffin. I love you." She whispered in reply with a smile of her own as she left the room, carefully closing the door behind her._

"_Love you too." I murmured even though she'd already gone, letting myself drift away into a much-needed paradise of deep dreamless sleep._

'_It's not like you're never going to see us again.'_

_If I'd have known at the time just how horribly wrong that innocent little statement had been, I would've fought tooth and nail to keep them home with me. That day, the day before my fourteenth birthday, was the day that everything changed for me._

_My life ended so abruptly, and I didn't even realise it until the morning after when the police turned up on the doorstep to deliver the news._

_Kiani and Zahra Safiya were ran off the road by a unknown driver on their way back home from the hospital. Neither of them survived the crash, and even if they had, the police told me they would never have managed to escape the wreckage before the fire reached the gas tank and exploded._

_At fourteen years old, with no one else to turn to, I became an orphan._

'_It's not like you're never going to see us again.'_

_Oh God, if only you had known how wrong you were, Mom._

* * *

"I'm afraid your shoulder is dislocated." The blond-haired doctor stated, pressing and prodding gently at my shoulder joint with his gloved hands. I winced with every touch however slight to my injured arm as it sent pinpricks of pain shooting through the already painful limb.

"Yeah, I figured that much out myself." I replied, trying to mask my pained grimace with a light-hearted smile. I had to tilt my head up to look the man in the eye, since the baseball cap I was wearing to conceal my long lavender hair kinda obscured most of my vision as well as most of my features. Huh. Damn that bastard Alex. Even when I'm crippled in pain, drifting in and out of consciousness, he still finds time to make sure I'm thoroughly disguised before taking me anywhere. Hence why I'm now in a small cubicle in the A&E department at Domino Hospital, wearing a baseball cap, a dark hooded jacket with a plain white t-shirt beneath it, and faded denim jeans instead of my bloodstained white dress. I looked like one of Tristan Taylor's chav cronies. Perfect. Just the fashion statement I wanted to make. Not.

When I'd woken up in the back of an all too unpleasantly familiar transit van with my two least favourite people of the year, I'd been given my orders on how to behave. No one was to recognise me and I wasn't to do or say anything that might cause suspicion and give away who I was. Nor was I allowed to mention anything whatsoever to the doctors to do with any kind of abuse, since that was most definitely what this was. I had to smile and act like I'd done nothing more than tripped over my own feet down the staircase.

Surprisingly, they didn't threaten me or my friends in any way, which was weird as I thought that would be the first thing they'd do to ensure I kept my big trap shut. But when I looked at the expression on Alex's face, I didn't need any threats. His facial features could've been carved out of stone, yet his dark green eyes blazed furiously in his skull, so much anger being kept in check. He was waiting. When we got back from the hospital, I knew I was going to be in the deepest shit ever imaginable. I could bet my life on that.

The doctor straightened up, looking thoughtful.

"I'm going to have to pop it back into place. Do you want an anaesthetic?" He asked. I grinned tightly up at him and shook my head. After all my abused body's been through, popping my shoulder back into place was hardly worth being put to sleep for.

"No, I'll be fine."

"It's going to hurt." He frowned.

"I know. It already hurts. Just… just do it. Please."

He nodded and reached out with both hands, grasping my shoulder in a grip that was gentle at the same time as being incredibly firm. I twitched a little from the pain, then grit my teeth together, bracing myself.

"Ok, on three…" The doctor said, shifting his weight slightly. It was about this time that I seriously started to rethink my decision to go through without anaesthesia.

"One."

"Wait –"

Without warning, he threw his whole strength into his arms as he jerked the bone back into place with a horrific cracking sound that would've made me flinch if it hadn't been for the sheer bloody agony that stabbed through me like a million heated knives.

I shot up from the bed faster than humanly possible, screaming in pain as I clutched my arm to my chest, taking very little delight in the fact that the previous numb feeling was slowly but surely receding from my fingers since the pain kinda blocked out all other comprehensible thoughts and feelings. It was unbearable and intense, my vision fading completely black for a moment before I eventually recovered enough to use my vocal chords again.

"OWWWW!!!! Jesus Christ!! Who taught you how to count?! Holy –!"

I paused before any of my favourite swearwords could complete that sentence, a small smile quirking my lips as I suddenly remembered something I hadn't thought of for a very long time.

"– Sugarmuffins." I murmured to myself, and a comforting warm feeling spread from my chest outwards as the word left my lips. God, it's been a while since I last said that. About three years, by my reckoning.

I chuckled softly under my breath, rotating my newly attached shoulder joint to ease some of the lingering pain. Not one of my best ideas, since in doing so that only made it hurt even more and I hissed like an angry cat.

"Careful! Careful!" the doctor cried, rushing forwards with his hands outstretched to prevent me from causing any further injury to myself, "Come here, let me put your arm in a sling before you dislocate it again!"

Scowling slightly at him, I unzipped my jacket with my free hand and removed it before I allowed him to pull me gently back towards him. I watched with mild interest as he placed my arm in a triangular white cloth and fasten it securely around my neck, my arm now resting snugly against my chest in the sling. I flexed my fingers experimentally, then lifted my head to meet the doctor's gaze.

"Thank you." I smiled gratefully. He smiled back, giving a small nod of his head in acknowledgment before his features turned serious once more.

"Now you be careful with that shoulder. Keep it in a sling for a few weeks but exercise it regularly to make sure it's in the right place and working as it's supposed to." He said as he opened the door to his cubicle and gestured for me to go through first, walking me down the corridor back to the A&E waiting room, where two certain green-eyed bastards were indeed waiting for me. Alex spotted us immediately and practically leapt up from his chair, leaving Scott where he sat, lounging back in his own seat in casual boredom as the darker-skinned man made a beeline straight for us. Instinctively, I flinched and tensed up before I could stop myself. I must've unknowingly moved closer to the blond doctor because he looked down at me curiously, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown of confusion.

"Is something wrong?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly as he observed me with his hawk-like tawny eyes. I shook my head quickly, flashing him a brief smile to reassure him. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work, for he switched his stare from me to the approaching Alex and obviously put two and two together in his head, matching my injuries with my strange reaction. His features hardened considerably and a sudden jolt of panic shot through me like a bullet. _Oh no… please, no… don't say anything, please, I'm begging you…_

"Renami? Are you ok?" Alex called out, his rich baritone heavy with relief that evidently I wasn't too seriously hurt. When he was close enough, he pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around me, careful not to disturb my injured arm. I fought hard to repress the shudder that ran through my body in an attempt to convince the good doctor that what conclusion he'd come to in his mind was the wrong one. Even though it was anything but the wrong one. But I couldn't let him realise that. There's too much at stake here, and not just my own safety.

"Yeah, Alex, I'm fine." I smiled as convincingly as I could up at my ex-boyfriend, wrapping my free arm around him and by some miracle managing to rest my head against his collarbone without pecking him to death with my baseball cap. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the doctor's eyebrows rise and an expression of uncertainty stole across his features. Good.

"Oh, please." A sharp sardonic voice snorted derisively. I twisted my head round to glare fiercely over my shoulder at Scott who had somehow silently crept up behind us. He smirked maliciously back, flicking his dark brown hair back of his glinting emerald green eyes.

The doctor glanced from one green-eyed man to the other, frowning again. Deciding that it would be better for all of us if we got out of there as quickly as possible, I disentangled myself from Alex's embrace and stepped forwards, extending my hand out towards the blond.

"Thanks again, Doc. I really appreciate it." I said as he took my hand and shook it politely. His eyes were blazing deep into mine as though he was trying to figure out the truth via my purple orbs, but I averted my gaze quickly lest he noticed my unusually coloured amethyst irises. If he found this even more odd and maybe a little more than ever so slightly obvious, he hid it extremely well as he turned his attention to Alex.

"Make sure she doesn't do anything too strenuous with that shoulder for at least a fortnight. Ice may help to reduce some of the pain, but if it becomes dislocated again or doesn't seem to be working as it should, bring her back here and we can do an X-ray to find out what the problem is. It is possible she has torn a ligament in her shoulder and in a worst-case scenario, we may have to surgically repair it, but hopefully it should heal without any complications."

Alex nodded stiffly in understanding as he took my jacket from my free hand and draped it over my shoulders whilst keeping his stare fixed almost unblinkingly on the doctor's. If I were in the doc's shoes, I'd be more than a little unnerved, but his features were so stoic they could've put Seto Kaiba to shame. Why the Hell is it that practically everyone around me can hide their emotions so easily, and I just completely suck at it? I mean seriously, is it a girl thing or what? Fucking seems to be. Or maybe it's just a Renami Safiya thing. That's probably more likely, since I'm the most cursed human being in the whole damn planet.

"Come on, Kitten. Let's go home." Alex murmured, his voice deceptively calm and soft. Oh Alex, you're just as good an actor as I am. If anyone else was listening in, that little statement would've seemed completely innocent, but from where I was standing, I could see the barely-repressed fury in his dark eyes and I felt his hands tighten a little around the tops of my arms. I licked my lips nervously, trying to block out all the thoughts that were rushing through my head. What was he planning? What punishment was he going to deliver when we got back? And will I actually live through it this time? One thing's for sure, it wasn't going to be pretty, to say the least.

The three of us turned to leave, me unwillingly sandwiched between Scott and Alex. My lip started to curl in disgust but I quickly rearranged my features to as casual as they would go before glancing back over my shoulder and waving goodbye to my doctor with my free arm.

"See you around, Doc!" _If I'm lucky, that is._

His eyes followed us we walked away from him, heading through the front doors of the A&E and out of sight. It was only when we'd turned the corner and started across the hospital car park that Scott cackled loudly and threw his arm around my shoulders, pressing purposely hard against my bad arm. I nearly bit through my bottom lip in an effort to hold back the cry of pain that threatened to escape. There's no way on earth I'm gonna give him the satisfaction.

"Nice acting back there, pretty one. Very convincing. I almost believed you myself." He sneered wickedly in my ear, "But then again, it's a good thing your performance was so good, because if it hadn't have been, I would've had to pay one of your little friends a visit, and you wouldn't want that now, would you? Not if you knew all the _fun_ things I have planned for them."

Wrinkling my nose in repulsion, I tried to jerk my head away from him, but since I was virtually trapped between the two of them, there was nowhere for me to go. I didn't want to hear any more of his sick fantasies involving my friends. Knowing what he's done to Joey, and what he almost did to Yami and Yugi, there was no doubt in my mind that he would be more than willing to have his wicked way with the rest of them. And if he thinks that's ever going to happen, he's gonna have to go through me first.

"Go to Hell." I hissed in reply as we made for that infernal transit van parked down at the opposite end of the car park. Scott laughed delightedly and squeezed my shoulders a little harder.

"Not without you, Sweetheart." He responded, grinning as he tweaked the rim of my baseball cap to annoy me. And believe me, it worked like a charm. My anger was literally bubbling away inside me, so close to the surface, an intense burning hatred that twisted and grew every passing second. I growled warningly and swiped at his hand, hoping to draw blood, but to my disappointment he drew it back before I could scratch his flesh with my fingernails.

"Hahaha! No, no, my pretty," He jeered, tutting at me as one would to a slow child, "You be a nice kitty now."

Dickhead. The day I be a _nice kitty now_ is the day when Hell freezes over.

Alex was completely silent by my side, staring straight ahead as he walked with his shoulders rigid and his fists clenched. It was obvious even from a single glance that he was a pissed off as I was, maybe even more so. If that's even possible.

Another dangerous chuckle spilled from Scott's lips and he suddenly seized hold of me by the chin, dragging my face back round to look at him. Immediately, I started to struggle in his grip, grabbing his wrist with my free hand and sinking my nails deep into his flesh, but even then he refused to let go. He was way stronger than me. I already knew that from our previous encounters, but I wasn't about to give in to him. Not while I still have my pride.

"Oooh, look at his face! You're going to be in _so_ much trouble when we get back." Scott purred in my ear, his voice too quiet for Alex to hear, "I can't wait! I don't know why, Renami Safiya, but I quite enjoy seeing you in pain. Strange, isn't it?"

"Because you're a sick, twisted son of a bitch! Let me go!" I spat back, wrenching my head backwards in an attempt to pull away from him. My spine cracked in protest and I think I gave myself whiplash, but it had the desired effect and a flash of surprise washed across Scott's face as he realised that his fingers that were previously holding my face were now clutching nothing but thin air.

The force of my movement sent me staggering backwards slightly, but before I could land gracelessly on my ass, Alex's arm shot out and grabbed me firmly by the elbow of my uninjured arm. As I righted myself, I noticed that he was still holding me tightly, much too tightly to be necessary. Oh. Right. I get it now. He didn't grab me to stop me falling. He'd thought I'd been trying to run away from them. Stupid possessive asshole. Seriously, where the Hell could I have gone? As if I could've outrun them both.

I hadn't realised my baseball cap had fallen off until a rush of cool wind sent my long lavender locks cascading around my face, dancing in the breeze. And I also hadn't realised that we weren't completely alone until a sharp intake of breath came from a few feet in front of us, and all three of our heads snapped up simultaneously.

And my heart sunk rapidly at what I saw. Or rather, at _who_ I saw.

It was a woman. Obviously she'd been making her way across the car park to the hospital and just so happened to pass by the three of us at the worst possible moment. Her chocolate coloured curls whipped around her face in the wind and her rich hazel eyes grew impossibly wide with horror and recognition as she fixed her gaze on mine, frozen to the spot where she'd stopped.

"_Renami?_" She choked out, her voice hoarse and thick with emotion that made my blood turn to ice in my veins. She looked as though she was about to say something else, but before she could she found herself slammed cruelly into the nearest car and held there by her throat by Scott who had somehow moved before anyone else could react. The window of the car shattered from the impact and the alarm started blaring, but at that moment none of us cared, because our attentions were drawn to more dangerous matters.

"You should've kept walking, bitch!" He snarled fiercely, his fingers locked tight around her neck. Rehema gasped and writhed in his hold, scrabbling at his hands, her swollen stomach heaving.

"Stop moving!" Scott commanded, and I caught sight of a horribly familiar glint of silver in his free hand where he'd drew it from the back pocket of his jeans and pressed it against Rehema's pregnant stomach. With a cry of mixed shock and fear, Rehema fell still in his grip, trembling as she stared apprehensively up into his sadistic emerald eyes. The knife he held ensured she wouldn't dare move for fear of endangering her unborn child.

Scott's smirk reappeared.

"Good girl."

If I thought I was angry before, my rage proved me wrong and soared even further sky high, blinding my vision in a haze of red as a rush of adrenaline kicked in at full force. Logical thought went vanished out of existence as I lurched forwards, jerking my arm from Alex's lax grip and well out of his reach before he could try to pull me back. My sling-free arm swung down and I seized hold of the first thing it came into contact with. I'd been aiming for Scott's sleeve so I could rip the knife away from Rehema, but unfortunately for me, instead of grabbing his shirt, I grabbed the blade of the knife instead.

The metal cut deep into my palm, but I barely acknowledged it and mentally blocked out the pain as I lifted my head to glare up at Scott.

"I won't let you hurt her." I said, surprised at how even my voice sounded despite how angry I was. Scott and Rehema were both staring at me with wide eyes, before those emerald ones narrowed and his hand tightened on the knife hilt, making the blade sink a little deeper into my hand. The slight twitch of my lips was the only indication that showed it hurt, but other than that I kept my face as straight as I could.

"You can't stop me hurting her, pretty one. Remember what we said. _No one recognises you._ You knew what would happen if they did." Scott spat, grinning sadistically as he twisted the knife, carving further into my palm. I couldn't hold back my gasp of pain at that and his grin spread wider. Hot dark blood oozed between my fingers and dripped steadily to the ground.

"I can stop you. And I will." I replied. I raised my bloody arm, still holding the knife. Scott didn't let go of the hilt so his arm followed too and he frowned as I slowly removed my hand from the blade but held his hand in place so he couldn't move it. The crimson-streaked blade was now digging into the soft flesh of my throat. If Scott flicked his wrist even the tiniest little bit, he would sever my jugular vein and kill me.

"If you want to hurt Rehema, you'll have to go through me first."

Scott's nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to glow a brighter sinister shade of green. Oh, he was pissed now. He still had one hand wrapped around Rehema's throat, and my hand keeping his other pressing a knife to my neck. Alex was watching the scene unfold before him in deadly silence, fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were stark pearly white.

Scott leaned forwards slightly towards me, his mouth at my ear.

"Trust me, it'd be a pleasure."

He pulled back and I gave him my best vampire smile in response.

"Go ahead. Do it. Kill me. I know you want to."

Rehema turned her head so she could look at me, her hazel eyes wet and streaming floods of tears down her cheeks.

"Renami, what're you doing, you can't –" She cried, but I cut across her harshly.

"Be quiet!" I snapped, ignoring her so I could focus my full attention on the enraged man in front of us. I felt bad for shouting at her, but I knew more about these two than she did. As much as Scott would love to slit my throat right here, right now, he wouldn't dare. Alex wouldn't let him. So I knew my life was safe. Now I had to make sure Rehema's was too, and her baby.

My grin widened by a few molars.

"What are you waiting for? _Kill me!_ Oh… yeah, that's right. You can't, can you? No, Alex wouldn't allow that now, would he? Ah, Scott. You think you're in control here, but this is all just one big mind fuck to me." I sneered up at him, my anger smoothly fuelling my arrogance and derision. A vein pulsed in his temple and his hands were trembling slightly. He was rapidly losing his rag, and I was doing my damn best to help him on his way. It was a dangerous game for me to be playing, but hey, what's life without a few risks?

He was going to do it. I could see it in his eyes. For a second there, I saw determination flicker. His fingers twitched in anticipation and I smiled serenely at him, goading him on. Rehema was sobbing openly now, so sure that he was about to kill us both. She'd shut her eyes tight so she wouldn't have to watch him slice my neck open, and her tears still dripped from her eyelashes like the blood still dripped from my hand.

But then a hand landed on Scott's shoulder. Scott tore his murderous gaze from mine and twisted round a little to find Alex standing beside us, his hard glare fixed on Scott. Neither man said a single word to each other, but Scott immediately released both me and Rehema, his knife clattering to the floor and landing in the small puddle of blood between us. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief that my risky gamble had paid off, Rehema practically threw herself into my arms, weeping and clutching me tight as though she was afraid I was going to disappear. I returned her embrace with equal force, willing myself not to break down and cry with her. I've built myself up so far; I don't want to fold so early on in the game.

Unknown to my tormentors, I lowered my head down so my mouth was level with Rehema's ear.

"Tell Seto Kaiba… Tell him I was here… I've got a feeling I'll be back here sometime soon."

Rehema stiffened in my arms but I felt her nod ever so slightly against my collarbone.

"Be careful, Renami." She whispered back. I smiled sadly into her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Rehema. They can't hurt me." I assured her.

"They already have." She pointed out, nudging my sling gently.

"Ah, this? This was nothing. Just my hundredth escape attempt gone wrong. It's ok, Rehema. Everything will be ok. I promise."

"Don't promise me things like that, Renami. We're all going out of our minds worrying about you. Even Seto's feeling the strain."

I raised my eyebrows and chuckled mirthlessly.

"Glad to see the robot's getting in touch with his human side." I said. Then I licked my dry lips, overwhelming sadness filling up inside me, "Tell the guys. Tell them I miss them. I miss you all. Even Kaiba. You will tell them, won't you?"

Whatever Rehema's response was, I didn't have chance to hear it as I was suddenly ripped out of her embrace and dragged bodily away from her, caged in Alex's firm unbreakable grip. There was a harsh slapping sound of flesh hitting flesh, a feminine cry of pain and then a dull thud. Twisting around, I saw Scott a walking a few paces behind me and Alex with a sadistic look of satisfaction plastered all over his face. I couldn't see Rehema any more. She'd vanished from sight.

"Bastard, what did you do to her?!" I snarled venomously at Scott, fighting to free myself from Alex's hold so I could attack Scott and rush back to help Rehema, but I was going nowhere.

"Relax, feisty kitten. I just put her to sleep for a while. You should be thankful, pretty one. Killing her just to see the look on your face would've been so euphoric. But another time, another place, perhaps. After all, why waste more time here when we could be back home." Scott cackled evilly. I understood exactly what he meant. He was eager for us to get back so he could watch all the horrific punishment plans Alex has in store for me. Scott winked knowingly at me, lifting a hand to his mouth and licking his fingers. They were marred with scarlet from where I'd held onto him with my bloodied hand, and his pointed pink tongue cleaned his flesh meticulously. Surely his fascination with my blood had to be one of his sick fetishes. I noticed he'd retrieved his knife. No doubt he's probably licked my blood from that too, the sick twisted vampire-wannabe.

Scott skirted round me and Alex when we got to the van and he unlocked it and climbed into the driver's seat as Alex opened the back doors and all but threw me inside. I only just managed to twist as I landed heavily so I didn't dislocate my shoulder again so soon after having it fixed.

The doors slammed shut and I straightened up into a more comfortable sitting position on the floor. There were no seats in the back, and so obviously no seatbelts either. I only hoped Scott drove like the maniac he was on the way back and lost control and killed us all before we could make it out of Domino. Heh. Wishful thinking, huh?

Alex settled himself opposite me, sitting cross-legged with his head in his hands. I blinked at him curiously, wondering if he was crying or something, but then he lifted his head and I think my heart actually skipped several beats.

His dark green eyes were dry and hard, his piercing glare full of unbearable rage. I wanted to look away, but for some reason I couldn't. His eyes held me captive, burning and dangerous.

"You're in serious trouble, Renami." He said, his voice dangerous and low.

I swallowed thickly in apprehension.

Whoa, now there was the understatement of the century.

* * *

**Cara: So what did ya think? Slowly but surely getting back into it. Wasn't exactly spectacular but it's all coming back to me now. :D**

**Chiyo: Yup. And hey, you see that button down there? The one that says Review on it? Yeah, well if you click it right now, you get a lifetime supply of Mars Bars. ^_^**

**Cara: Oh, she lies! XD**

**Chiyo: Shush! They don't know that! ^_^ Click for Marsbars! :D**


	27. Fulfil Your Promises

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**Heya, I know it's been way too damn long since I updated this, but everything's been so hectic lately and this major writer's block has really taken a lot outta me. :(**

**I'm so sorry I kept you all waiting, and I'm sorry if this chapter is a little crapper than usual but I'm only just getting back into this story with some major difficulty.**

**I swear down on my own life that the next chapter WILL NOT take as long to update. I PROMISE YOU ALL THAT.**

**And I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Catalyna Cullen whose messages got me back into this story and whose box of pocky helped me in my hour of need! Thank you so much! ^^**

**I really hope I havent lost all my reviewers. Please let me know if there are still people out there who want to read this.**

**Leave me a review and let me know.**

**Anyways, onwards with the long-awaited chapter 27...**

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Chapter 27:

Seto's POV:

Being the wealthy well-known businessman that I am, at the head of a company as illustrious as KaibaCorp, it's understandable that I have many contacts worldwide literally at my fingertips. And I'd been all but ready to use them to my advantage in my search for Safiya. I'd been willing to offer them just about anything for their help. But evidently, they were no longer needed. Safiya had been sighted right here in Domino.

It had been little over a week since her abduction, and the strain was running at an all-time high that just seemed to grow even higher at the news that she'd never even left the Goddamn city. I've had people search Domino top to fucking bottom and found absolutely _nothing_, and yet she's been here all the time? Whoever had taken her was very good at discretion and concealment. Well, until less than an hour ago, of course. Taking her to Domino Hospital was reckless. There were plenty of back-alley doctors and surgeries they could've taken her to, and no one would ever know they were there. So why did they risk her being recognised in on of the most likely places she'd turn up in? Was it a mistake? Were they getting sloppy? Or was it something deeper than that? Were they becoming arrogant? Parading her around in full view, just for the thrill they'd get knowing that nobody could touch them. Did they think they were invincible now? And if that were the case, Renami Safiya could be in even more danger than she had been before.

'_How the Hell do you manage to get yourself into situations like this, Safiya?!'_ I thought angrily, a burning white-hot rage building in the pit of my stomach and spreading through my limbs. It was ridiculous! This whole thing was a complete waste of my time. Precious time that should be spent on keeping my company afloat, but _no_, instead I was wasting my resources on that purple-haired pain in the ass. It's not like I even care. People go missing all the time. Safiya's just one of the unlucky ones to become part of that statistic. I could turn my back on her now and forever, and not even spare her a second thought. I wouldn't even remember her name. That's how little I care for Renami Safiya.

… But one thing I could never forget would be those breathtaking amethyst eyes of hers. Those purple windows to her soul. I could get lost in those eyes, and I have done more than once. They were hypnotic, captivating, utterly heart stopping. My chest ached just thinking about them, despite how hard I tried not to.

Renami Safiya got under my skin like no other, without even being here.

A small sniffling sound brought me swiftly back from my thoughts and I glanced up from where my unseeing eyes had been burning twin holes through the blank screen of my laptop.

"Seto…" Rehema wept pitifully into what must've been the hundredth tissue, her swollen stomach heaving with every sob. Her chocolate-coloured curls that usually defied gravity hung limp and lifeless down past her shoulders, her hazel eyes streaming tears thick and fast down her cheeks. The left side of her face was slightly swollen, the tanned skin marred by a nasty cut that was surrounded by a large inky black bruise. In her trembling hands she held a scarlet baseball cap, clutching it tightly to her chest as though her life depended on it. The hat was Safiya's. It'd been left behind in the hospital car park, lying forgotten on the ground a few feet away from where an unconscious Rehema had been found by the hospital security. She hadn't let go of the damn thing since.

"Oh God, Seto… What are we going to do?"

I eyed her coldly, not intending to answer her question. Probably because I didn't have the answer myself.

"You should've stayed at the hospital." I told her impassively, flicking my gaze back down to my laptop screen. Rehema's reaction was predictable and immediate as she flung herself up from the chair she'd been crying in for the last God knows how long with remarkable finesse for a woman so heavily pregnant.

"Don't you tell me what I should've done, Seto Kaiba! I know what I damn well should've done! I should've helped Renami instead of standing there and crying while that bastard had a knife at us both! I should've done _something!!_ Anything would've been better than acting so fucking helpless and watching while she goes and puts the knife to her own neck and has the nerve to taunt him into killing her! Does that girl have absolutely no self-preservation whatsoever?!" Rehema ranted, growing more and more agitated. She still hadn't let go of the baseball cap, and was now twisting it in her hands, clenching the peak so tightly that it looked to be seconds away from snapping in two.

"No, she doesn't. Renami Safiya is about as suicidal as they come." I replied, even though she hadn't directed the rhetorical question at me. My lips quirked upwards into a small smirk that fortunately the enraged pregnant housekeeper didn't notice. I had no desire to be on the receiving end of another painful slap to the face, thank you very much.

Suddenly I found a crimson baseball cap thrust under my nose, and I almost lurched backwards in surprise. I looked up to find Rehema leaning as far over my desk as her stomach would allow, holding the hat out to me with a pleading expression on her face that melted a little of my icy withered excuse for a heart.

"Can't you get their fingerprints off this or something? Match them to a database?" She begged. I knew she was desperately grasping at straws, but even then, the almost hysterical question irritated me.

"Do I look like a forensic scientist to you?" I hissed back at her.

"Surely you know people who…"

"Of course I do." I snarled angrily, dangerously close to losing my temper completely. I hadn't even realised I'd snatched the baseball cap away from her until she drew back from my desk, her hands empty. I stared down at the hat, absently running my fingers over the rough fabric. Despite it now being nowhere near my nose, I could smell Safiya's sweet vanilla scent on it (that brought back a few certain memories I didn't really want to remember right now, especially when I couldn't exactly relieve myself with Rehema in the same room), along with Rehema's flowery aroma and a couple of others that I didn't recognise. Sort of musky. _A male scent_. An unexplainable powerful wave of feral fury welled up inside me, and I had to keep my teeth clenched to stop myself from growling out loud like some rabid dog.

Silence hung heavy in the room, so thick that I almost felt as though I was suffocating in it. I can't stand this. I really can't. I've tried convincing myself over and over that I don't give a damn about that girl, when really I was missing her just as much as everyone else was. Maybe even more so, but I wasn't ready to even _consider_ that right now, much less admit it to myself. But one thing I knew for damn certain, and it scared me to no end. I didn't miss Safiya just for the sex. I missed her because… because I… Oh God, I _needed_ her back. I was literally aching just to see her beautiful face again. Just to hear that wonderful sunny laughter of hers that always sent an unwilling but not unpleasant jolt through my chest. Every day since she's been gone, I've gotten angrier and angrier. There's only so far I can go before I completely explode. And whatever happens after that will be anyone's guess.

"Have you told Yugi and the others?" Rehema asked after a few uncomfortable moments, thankfully breaking through the hush. I nodded once, returning my attention back down to my laptop, my fingers poised over the keyboard.

"I phoned them just after you got here. They should be on their way right now, if my assumptions are correct and they instantly dropped everything in a mad rush to get here for whatever news I have on Safiya." I said, my tone sardonic as I opened a blank word document and it spread to fill the screen. "And knowing those idiots like I do, they won't be impressed when they find out it isn't good news. Now, describe your attackers to me. In as much detail as you can."

"Two men." Rehema replied almost instantly, her eyes shut and her brow creased as she cast her thoughts back to the encounter in the hospital car park earlier today. My hands danced gracefully over the keys, typing her words out exactly as I heard them. This was the best lead we had so far. The fact that Rehema had seen the kidnappers with her own eyes and could give a detailed description of their appearances was an excellent breakthrough. At least now we knew who we should be looking for.

"The first man was a couple of inches shorter than you, with darkish skin and messy shoulder-length dark brown hair. He was quite handsome in a scary kind of way, and he was lean yet strong-looking. He looked to be about early to mid-twenties and his eyes were bright green. He was the one who threatened us with a knife, and he did this to me." She tapped the swollen side of her face with a wince before continuing.

"The second man was taller, about your height, and his skin was really dark. He had long black hair down to his waist that he'd tied back into a ponytail. He was very good-looking too, and he was lean and well built as well. He looked a little younger than the first, about early twenties, maybe even your age, but he was definitely the one in charge. He didn't say a single word at all when I was there, just stood behind watching with an unreadable expression on his face. But he made the first man back off when he'd been about to hurt Renami just by putting his hand on his shoulder. He had green eyes too, but his were so much darker, almost black. And the way he stared at us, almost as if he was seeing straight into our souls… He was so intense and frightening. He looked more dangerous than the first, even though he wasn't the one holding the knife."

I swiftly finished typing, making sure I got everything down. She fell silent again and I glanced up sharply, one hand resting lightly on the space bar.

"Did you hear any names?" I asked her. Rehema looked thoughtful for a moment, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to remember.

"Renami said something… I think she knew we'd want to know their names… She said: _'What are you waiting for? Kill me! Oh… yeah, that's right. You can't, can you? No, Alex wouldn't allow that now, would he? Ah, Scott. You think you're in control here, but this is all just one big mind fuck to me' _"

I had no trouble figuring out which of the men were Alex and Scott judging by that. But still, I had to admire Safiya's guts. That had been more than just taunting him. It'd been more like she'd drawn a dotted line across her throat with a flashing neon sign above it that screamed "PLEASE CUT HERE!!". Well, what did I expect? This is Renami Safiya we're talking about here. I can't really pretend that that shocked me, since those few sentences left absolutely no doubt in my mind that Safiya was well and truly living up to her reputation. Christ, you'd think that she'd have learnt by now that however noble she tries to be, the only way to survive out here was that you always had to look out for number one.

"Did she say anything else? Anything that might be important."

The words had barely left my mouth when Rehema's hazel eyes welled up with tears again. Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I held out a box of tissues towards her and she immediately grabbed a few and pressed them to her face.

"She told me… to tell everyone… that she misses us…" She hiccoughed between sobs, mopping at her tearstained cheeks. "Even you, Seto. When I… told her that we were all… going out of our minds worrying about her… especially you… she laughed and she said that she was glad to… see the robot getting in touch with… his human side…"

I couldn't stop myself from smirking a little at that, and even Rehema flashed a small smile. It was true, after all. I'm not an emotional person. People like Renami Safiya and her moronic gang of homosexual friends go around with their hearts on their sleeves, but my heart is buried so deep down inside me that even I was starting to doubt that I actually _had_ one. Now there was no question about it. Getting in touch with my human side? Screw that, I'm so in touch with it right now I'm practically wrapped around the fucking thing!

Rehema's smile sobered almost as soon as it appeared.

"She's in serious trouble, Seto." She said, her voice pained. It took every single remaining scrap of my self-control to stop myself from rolling my eyes at her again.

"Your powers of observation really do amaze me, Rehema." I muttered dryly under my breath, but I could tell by the look of irritation that flashed across her pretty face that she'd heard every word. I subtly braced myself for the slap that was undoubtedly about to follow. And I was surprised when it didn't.

"No, I didn't mean like that, I mean… she was hurt pretty bad, Seto. She had bruises on her face and her arm was in a sling. And when she hugged me, I could feel bandages under her clothes. I just… I don't know much longer she'll be able to…" She trailed off there, but I knew exactly what she meant to say. _Last, survive, keep holding on_… they all meant the same thing. Renami was running on borrowed time. And I needed to find her soon before that time completely ran out.

Rehema sniffled a few more times and I watched her with my features as stoic as my facial muscles would allow. After a few minutes, she'd regained enough composure to lift her head up from the wad of tissues and look at me quizzically.

"Where's Mokuba?" She asked, a not-so-subtle change of subject that I was all too glad to follow on.

"He's out walking Safiya's dog." I replied. Rehema opened her mouth as though she was about to ask another question but the intercom on my desk buzzed, and I leaned over to press the button.

"Kaiba."

"Mr Kaiba, sir. Joey Wheeler and his friends have arrived."

"Wonderful." I deadpanned, an immeasurable amount of sarcasm dripping from that one word. "Send them up."

I released the button of the intercom and leaned back in my chair, using one hand to gently close the lid of my laptop.

"And speaking of Safiya's dog, here he comes now. The Mutt himself, and the rest of the gay brigade."

Rehema frowned at me fiercely.

"Have you told Mokuba?" She said. I blinked, caught off guard by the question. I'd honestly expected her to say something about the 'gay brigade' remark. I frowned straight back at her with narrowed eyes.

"No, I haven't. And I don't intend to. The last thing my brother needs right now is for his head to be filled with nothing but false hope."

"False hope?" Rehema repeated, her expression saddening once more, her watery hazel eyes widening as she stared down at me. "You sound like you've given up on her already."

I don't think I've ever stood up so quickly in my life. One second I was sat in my chair at my desk, and the next I was on my feet, the chair toppling over behind me and falling to the floor with a deafening crash. If I thought I'd been angry before, it was absolutely _nothing_ compared to raw searing rage I felt right now.

And all that rage was on the verge of spilling out, literally balancing on the very tip of my tongue, but before I could verbally beat Rehema out of my study, the double doors were flung open and in rushed eight multicoloured blurs, striding straight for my desk as though their lives depended on it. Their faces were either set in grim determination or sorrowful helplessness. It was more or less an even split, and it seemed to be the younger and shorter four of the gang looking so lost, clinging to their boyfriends like their legs were about to give out any second.

Naturally, the Mutt was at the head of the pack.

"Kaiba, what've you found?" He barked immediately, not bothering to take in the entire scene in front of him before leaping straight in. I tore my gaze with difficulty away from Rehema, snapping my head around towards the newcomers so fast that I almost gave myself whiplash. The fury must've been only too damn visible in my cerulean eyes because the Mutt instantly stopped in his tracks and then took a hasty step back, a brief flicker of fear darting through his toffee-coloured orbs.

I was breathing hard through my nose, my chest rising and falling like I'd just run a marathon. My hands were clenched into fists so tight on the tabletop that I actually thought my knuckles were about to burst out of my skin. And Wheeler wasn't the only one looking scared now. Even the mouthy and arrogant Bakura and Marik regarded me with unease. I bet they thought I'd finally lost it. To be honest, it bloody felt like it.

"Seto?" Mutou spoke my name so quietly that I could barely hear him over my heavy breathing. His voice trembled slightly, and I saw his taller spiky-haired boyfriend reach out and take his hand in reassurance. "Seto, are you ok?"

"I don't have the time nor the patience for your stupid questions today, Mutou." I growled back, my own voice strained with anger. I didn't even sound like myself any more. I don't know who I was right now, but the enraged beast that had so swiftly taken over my system was slowly receding, and my self-control was drawing back within reach. Thank God for that.

More than half of Safiya's friends bristled at my vicious retort to short-ass Mutou, and the Mutt looked as though he fully intended to bite back with something of his own, but before he could, Mutou put a hand on his arm, shaking his head sadly.

"No, don't start an argument now, Joey. We didn't come here for that."

I could tell Wheeler's pride wasn't about to let him back down so easily, but when he got caught up in those purple way-too-huge-for-Mutou's-face bambi eyes, that resistance was swiftly squashed. Huh. How ironic that the dog's such a fucking pussy. As if I'd let those eyes work on me. Never in a million years.

Almost as though Mutou had heard that thought, those gigantic orbs turned on me and trapped me dead in their sights. I glared coldly back, thankful that my usual icy demeanour was now back in check, perfectly hiding the fury still twisting my insides.

"What's happened, Seto? You said you had some news about Renami."

"Tell them." I spat at Rehema a little more vehemently than was really necessary, purposely avoiding her gaze. I knew if I looked at her right now, I'd go ape shit. I've had my breakdown for today, thank you, I don't need another one so soon after.

Oh, and by the way, you know how I said that Renami could get under my skin like no other? Well, Rehema comes a damn close second. It must run in the family.

Rehema flinched, and I couldn't help but feel like a complete asshole for snapping at her as she recounted her story quickly to Safiya's friends, making sure to leave nothing out. The expressions on their faces were fucking priceless. In fact, I didn't know who was more pissed now, me or them. And trust me, I was well and truly pissed.

When she'd finished, the suffocating silence returned at full force, the tension so thick and intense that the air practically crackled. The gay brigade were all white-faced and tight-lipped, their knuckles clenched as painfully tight as mine still were on my tabletop. Their eyes were all fixed straight on me, and I wondered if I was going to keel over and die from all the questions they were obviously about to shoot my way like speeding bullets. Several mouths opened, ready to fire, but I quickly cut across them before the words could leave their lips.

"Don't ask me anything. I don't know any more about it than you do." I told them, lowering myself back down into my chair, barely resisting the urge to bury my head in my hands and pressing my palms so hard against my eyes that I saw stars. That's all I wanted to do right now. I wanted to be alone. I wanted the Mutt and everyone out of my office. I wanted none of this to be happening to me. I wanted to rewind time and never meet Renami. I wanted to rub out her existence entirely. She's the cause of all this. She's the problem. She's the reason why I'm on the fucking end of my rope, desperately gripping onto my sanity with my fingernails. She's screwing up my head, making me _feel_… And I hate it. I hate every damn minute of it!

"Seto…" One of them began. It didn't even register which one it was. And to be honest, I didn't even care.

"Shut up." I hissed as I glared down at my desk, knowing that if I met anyone's gaze now, I'd seriously come to regret whatever happened afterwards. "Shut up and get out. You wanted news on Safiya, and you got it, so all of you just go back to your miserable lives and leave me the Hell _alone_."

I half expected someone to answer me back, accuse me of being an arrogant unfeeling piece of shit, shout their hatred of me to Hell and back. But they didn't. They all stayed eerily silent, and the silence was even more unbearable than if they'd been screaming at me in unison.

"Thank you, Seto." Came a soft voice, and this time I recognised it as the shorter, more effeminate whitenette. Secretive Snow White. The one who, if he'd had the fucking balls to open his damn mouth and tell us what he knew _before_ it'd been too late, could've prevented this whole thing. But obviously he hadn't, and obviously we've all found ourselves up shit creek without a paddle between us. Ain't life just bloody brilliant?

"I don't know what you're thanking me for, I haven't found her yet. All we've learnt from this was that they've beaten her so badly that she needed medical attention. Now, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't call that something to be grateful for." I retorted snidely, still not looking up at them.

"At least we know she's still alive. That's all we needed to hear, and that's enough for us to be thankful for. We… we were starting to think that she…" He let the sentence hang there, unable to complete it. And to be honest, none of us wanted him to complete it. That one word that had crossed my mind too many times to count, I just couldn't bring myself to say it aloud.

_Dead. She could've been dead._

_But she isn't. Thank God._

"She said she'd be there again." Rehema murmured so softly that I almost missed it. But I didn't. Now I looked up from my desk, trapping the pregnant housekeeper in my firm sights with such intensity that she couldn't hold my gaze for longer than a couple of seconds and soon averted her eyes from mine.

"What?"

"Renami. She told me to tell you that she'd been at the hospital. She said… she said that she had a feeling she'd be back there sometime soon."

My entire body stiffened at that, icy fingers of dread clawing their way up my spine. _Did she mean what I think she meant?_ Looking at Rehema's face, I knew exactly what she meant, and that horrible unbearable feeling dread started to swell inside me once more. I could see her now, lying comatose in the hospital, her features so badly beaten that she was barely recognisable. I'd seen Renami Safiya laid unconscious in a hospital bed once before, and thought it was one of the worst things I've ever had the misfortune of seeing. Even worse than when I'd seen the state of the Mutt down that alley. Even worse than when I'd stared down at the mangled splattered mess on the pavement Gozuburo Kaiba had become after he'd thrown himself out of his office window at the top of the KaibaCorp building. I don't know why. Rape and suicide should be right up there at the head of the list, right? And yet, seeing this one girl, _this one unremarkable girl_, laying in a hospital bed with no more than a couple of cuts and bruises had affected me far more than anything else. _Damn her!_

"Renami… Renami thinks she'll be… back _there_ again…?" Malik stammered, almost choking on his words. His boyfriend wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "What the Hell are they doing to her?!"

"Do you really want to know?" I asked him darkly. Marik glared at me over Malik's platinum blond hair, but Malik stared directly at me and shook his head, not bothering to blink away the tears that brimmed in his mauve eyes.

"No. No I don't."

"I didn't think so." I looked away from them all, glaring down at my clenched hands, imagining that they were the faces of the two bastards who'd kidnapped Safiya, smirking arrogantly up at me. It took so much self-restraint to stop myself from grabbing a pen and stabbing myself until all that was left were two bloody stumps on the ends of my arms.

"Get out." I snarled again, this time with more venom to make sure the warning wasn't ignored twice.

Evidently they had about as much self-preservation as Safiya.

"Do you need our help? Surely there's something we can do…" The newest addition to the gang inquired. Duke Devlin, I think he's called. The Mutt's boyfriend.

All the others made noises of agreement, but I swiftly silenced them just by raising my head to meet their stares and give them a look of such ferocity that I'm surprised all the flesh didn't melt away from their bones.

"_Get. Out. Now._" I spat.

Actually, they had a great deal more self-preservation than Safiya, which was lucky for them as they hastily began to retreat from my office, slinking out the double doors looking like kicked puppies. Rehema was dithering on the spot, not sure what to do. I swung my glare around to pinpoint her.

"You too. Get out!"

She didn't need to be told twice. Rehema waddled after Safiya's friends with a surprising and admirable burst of speed. Sure, I was angry, but did I really look that scary right now? I didn't have a mirror anywhere around, and I was sort of glad of it. If I'd looked at my reflection and seen the snarling enraged monster I'd become, I probably would've fled the room myself.

Come to think of it, I haven't looked in a mirror for a while, but I didn't need to. I've seen pictures of me in the newspapers, my hair sticking up from where I'd worriedly ran my hand back through it, my fine suit a crumpled mess hanging limp on my thinning frame, my even-paler-than-usual skin tone, the dark purple marks under my eyes from lack of sleep. Everyone thought I was on the verge of a stress-related mental breakdown. People were starting to question my health, and reporters were practically falling over themselves to catch every single fucking moment of my 'breakdown' on tape.

I haven't had a good night's sleep since well over a week ago. Nor had I eaten anything proper for a long while. Sure, I was still eating and sleeping, but not as well as I should be. And I didn't want to, either. All I wanted was for this Goddamn _nightmare_ to end, so everything could go back to normal.

And I didn't even know if there was a fucking _normal_ to go back to.

The door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing through my otherwise silent office. I waited a few beats, staring at the doors in front of me without really seeing them. All I could see was Renami.

My heart wrenched unexpectedly, and an overwhelming wave of absolute sorrow and despair came crashing down over my head, consuming me completely. I was literally drowning, my airways clamping shut like someone had grabbed me by the throat. I couldn't see… I couldn't breathe… I couldn't _live_…

_Safiya…_

_Renami Safiya…_

_I hope to God I find you in time._

For the first time in almost ten years, I, Seto Kaiba, felt the first drops of clear liquid as they trailed their way thick and fast down my pale cheeks, splattering the rich mahogany wood of my desk.

I was crying.

_I've finally realised I have a heart, Renami. Why did you have to break it so soon after you showed me what I thought was impossible? How could you make me feel so much without even being here?_

_And why can't I live without you?_

* * *

Malik's POV:

Kaiba had ordered his pregnant housekeeper Rehema out after us, and I obliging held the door open for her as she scurried past, tears streaming down her face. She vanished out of sight around a corner in seconds, but I could still hear her dry hiccupping sobs growing fainter as she ran further away.

I let the door slam behind us, starting to follow my friends as they made their way sluggishly down the grand staircase like a funeral parade. Rehema wasn't the only one crying now. None of us had dry eyes. Not even those you would've never suspected of crying, like Bakura and my Marik.

We couldn't take this now. We needed _good_ news about Renami, not the news Seto had given us, the news that even though Renami was alive, she was in great pain, and was about to be in even greater pain if we didn't find her soon. My eyes were prickling with warm wetness again. I'd cried in front of Seto Kaiba. I wasn't even ashamed about that. It was absolutely nothing compared to the huge gaping hole in my chest that had never existed until Renami's disappearance.

_I didn't know how much more of this I could take before I completely lost my mind._

Suddenly I froze a little away from the staircase, another sound eating through my sorrow and worming its way into my head. I looked around briefly, and my gaze immediately set on the door from which we'd just left. Seto's office.

I took a few steps back and strained my ears fiercely.

And my eyes instantly doubled in size when I realised just what that sound was.

"Malik-Pretty?"

Startled, I flinched slightly at the interruption. Marik was waiting for me on the top stair, gazing at me through sad eyes beneath blond brows that were furrowed into a fierce frown with worry. I stared back at him, my lips pressed tightly together to stop me from sobbing aloud. Wordlessly, he held his hand out to me, and wordlessly I took it.

"Oh, Ra, Marik…" I murmured wretchedly, those three words sounding like someone had physically ripped them from my throat. "I can't… I just… I…"

"Shh, Malik-Pretty." The love of my life hushed me, his slender finger pressed gently against my lips. "We need to be strong now. We need to be strong for Renami. We're not going to give up on her, not yet. She's still alive, and we _will_ find her."

"I just feel so damn helpless, Marik!" I cried out, throwing myself at him and winding my arms around his waist as I buried my face in his sturdy chest. His warm tanned hands came up to cradle my face, tilting my chin up to look him in the eyes.

"You and me both, love. We just have to trust in Seto Kaiba for now." Marik whispered soothingly. He leaned in and placed a chaste reassuring kiss on my lips. I tried to linger, craving the intimacy to numb me from the pain for a short while. Marik understood this and brushed his fingertips across my lips, his expression soft and sincere.

"Be strong, Malik."

"I'll try. For Renami."

"And for me. I know I might act like I'm indestructible, but I'm barely holding myself together right now. If you can keep yourself strong now, so can I." Marik breathed sadly. I pulled away a little, seeing the worried lines etched deep into his handsome face.

"Let's go home." I said, squeezing his hand tenderly in my own. He nodded and we both began our descent down the staircase. Glancing back over my shoulder, I watched at Seto's office doors slowly disappeared from my viewpoint.

We weren't the only ones who needed to be strong for Renami now. Seto Kaiba was our one and only hope for bringing her back to us, safe and sound. And from what I've just heard, I couldn't help thinking that maybe Seto was taking this so much harder than the rest of us. His eyes were torn between three emotions: undiluted burning rage, intense unbearable sorrow and a horrible blank emptiness that took over whenever the first two were absent. He was like a zombie. Hell, he even looked like a zombie now. If someone asked me what the living dead looked like, I'd point out Seto Kaiba in a heartbeat. He might be an expert at hiding his feelings from the rest of the world, and even from himself, but one thing's for sure… There are just some things that not even the great Seto Kaiba can hide.

It was only so long before he completely fell apart, and on that day, I knew that that would be the day where all hope was lost for Renami. Seto would be broken, and so would she. They'd both be dead, whether they still breathed or didn't.

_Please, oh Ra, please… bring her back to us…_

* * *

Maxie's POV:

She was waking up now. I'd started to get worried because she'd been out cold for so long, but thankfully she was stirring from her slumber, twitching herself back to consciousness. She lay facedown on the blanket on the floor where I'd dragged her to after she'd been locked in here and me, and I was straddling her thighs, one hand pressing a damp cloth against the tattered bloody skin of her scarred back.

She mumbled something intelligible, her voice rough with fatigue. Carefully, I returned to dabbing her back, sluicing off her wounds. I must've pressed a little harder than I'd meant to because suddenly she let out a vicious hiss and arched up, sending me crashing to the hard and unforgiving stone floor, dropping the cloth in the process.

"_Get off me!!_" She screamed shrilly, sounding close to hysteria. I hastily backed away, my palms splayed towards her in surrender as she collapsed back onto the blanket, moaning in pain. And I really didn't blame her for it. She was a mess. More than a mess. She was… I don't even know if there was a word to describe it, but it was all too painfully obvious that she'd just been beaten within an inch of her life, and was unfortunate enough to still be breathing afterwards.

She shifted on the floor, her shoulder blades too clearly visible beneath the thin layer of red-streaked skin that covered them. I could see every vertebra in her spine between the reopened scars. This she'd done to herself, though. My master told me about what she'd done to annoy Alex. She'd been refusing food, starving herself. She said she wanted to see who would last the longest, her without food, or him without her. A good plan. If I'd tried the same with my master, he would've just laughed and told me to go ahead and kill myself, because I'm a filthy whore better for nothing else but to pleasure him. And if I couldn't do that, then I was dead to him anyway. At least she had some power over him. More than me, anyway. So much more.

Her head twisted slowly to the side and she fixed her amethyst eyes on my hazel ones, the purple depths surprisingly clear and bright despite what she'd been through. Her beautiful face was littered with inky-black bruises, so much so that it was hard to tell the colour of her skin beneath them and all the blood. Crimson matted in her long pale hair and streaked in streams down her angelic features. I couldn't believe how so much blood had managed to come from one girl.

"Who… are you?" She croaked, her voice hoarse from lack of use. "I… I know you… don't I?"

I tilted my head to one side, biting my lip anxiously as I stared back at her. Did she know me? Did Alex tell her about me? Maybe she heard my screams a few days ago and demanded Alex tell her who they'd come from.

"I'm Maxie." I introduced myself quietly, barely louder than a whisper.

Those brilliant eyes widened in recognition and she struggled to pull herself up onto her hands and knees, wincing and groaning with every move she made. I crept closer to help her, or maybe stop her from hurting herself more, but before I could do anything she reached out and took my hand, clutching it tight in hers like I would vanish if she didn't keep hold of me.

"Maxie! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" She asked me, blinking rapidly up at me. I frowned at her in confusion, wondering why she was asking me something like that. Was I hurt? Well, yes, I'd be lying if I said I _wasn't_, but compared to the state of her right now, it was practically nothing.

"Yes, I'm fine." I assured her. She cast her scrutinising gaze over me and I saw how her eyes lingered on the newest marks on my skin courtesy of my _beloved_ master. Feeling self-conscious, I wrapped my free arm around my waist, trying to cover as much of my abused torso as I could.

She tried to stand up again, but she couldn't do it. Her arms shook alarmingly beneath her weight and soon folded with the effort, bringing her swiftly back to the floor.

"Stop moving, you'll make it worse." I told her, nibbling my bottom lip between my teeth in worry.

"Nothing could make this worse." She replied, trying again, and failing again.

"Please… please, stop moving. You're not well enough. _Please_." I begged, feeling a rush of heat in my face, embarrassed by my own pathetic pleading. She looked at me again, the furious determination in her eyes softening as she met my gaze. Her expression was more serene now, tranquil even when marred with blood and bruises. She looked almost motherly. My heart squeezed in my chest as I thought about my own mother, but I quickly fought the emotion back, blinking tears away from my eyes.

"Hey now, come on. Don't cry, please." She murmured tenderly, relaxing herself somewhat reluctantly back down onto the blanket. I wiped my eyes with the back of my free hand fiercely.

"I'm not crying."

She saw straight through that, of course, but she nodded in agreement, giving me a moment to collect and compose myself.

"I'm Renami." She said after a few seconds of silence, flicking her head minutely to toss a stray lock of hair back from her face. It hurt her even to do something as small as that, I could see it in her eyes.

She gave me a small smile, and I hesitantly returned it.

"I know who you are. He talks about you a lot." That was the wrong thing to say, I knew, the very second the words left my mouth.

Instantly, her features hardened. She looked dangerous now, truly frightening. The murderous intent swimming in those purple orbs and etched into her expression was so prominent that not even a blind man could miss it.

"Who? Alex? Or Scott?"

"Both of them. Mostly Alex, though." And sometimes Scott, usually during his newest favourite pastime of pretending I'm Renami when he's _playing_ with me. That's where the cuts on my chest had come from. He'd imagined I was her, and did to me what he wanted to do to her, but couldn't, because Alex would never let him. And I'm glad Alex won't let him touch her, because with some of the things that bastard's done to me… Well, they weren't very pleasant, to put it mildly.

"You talk to Alex often?"

"Yes. He's my friend." I replied, then bit down hard on my bottom lip to shut myself up. It was always like this with me. My big mouth would go ahead and land me right in it before my brain had even had chance to catch up.

Renami's vengeful expression froze on her face, swiftly morphing into wide-eyed disbelief as she stared at me like I'd suddenly grown a second head.

"_Friend?_"

"Yes. He talks to me sometimes. He comes down here when Scott's not around and keeps me company, since neither of us has anyone else to talk to. Alex is nice, Renami." I said, injecting as much resolution into my hushed tones as I possibly could. "He really is. You're lucky to have someone like him."

Her eyes turned cold and she abruptly broke her gaze from mine, turning her head to face the wall. She hissed something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a swearword, but I wasn't sure. I was too preoccupied in trailing my eyes up her abused body, disgust and sympathy rising in my throat like bile at the state of her.

"I think we're talking about a different Alex here, Maxie. Because the one I've got beats the living shit outta me, and you think _I'm lucky to have him?_ The only thing _lucky_ I've been through so far in this Hellhole is that he managed to knock me unconscious within the first few minutes of me walking through the door." Renami snarled venomously, her head still turned away from me.

I inched a little closer to her. She'd released my hand at some point, but I couldn't remember when.

"He loves you." I murmured, trying to disguise the wistfulness in my voice. Renami's back stiffened so much that I could barely tell if she was breathing any more.

"If he loved me, he would've given up on me years ago." She whispered back. "If he loved me, he wouldn't do this to me. Look at me, Maxie. Do I really look like I'm _loved_ by him? You should _never_ hurt the one you love."

"He doesn't mean to hurt you." I ventured. She gave a derisive snort in return, curling herself into a fetal position with a low groan of pain. Her curved spine was even more alarmingly visible now and I had to avert my gaze, feeling sick.

"Sure he does. Sure he fucking does. He loves hurting me."

"That's not true! I know him, Renami. He tells me things. He's always talking about you, about how you met, all the wonderful times you spent together. When he brought you down here to me, he was crying his heart out. You don't know, you didn't see, but he really regrets what he's done to you. It's broken him, Renami. _You've_ broken him."

Renami rolled over gingerly, grimacing as she did so. She fixed me dead in her sights, her eyes immeasurably sad and pained.

"No, I didn't see. And why didn't I see? Because I was out cold. And he put me that way, Maxie, so don't start lecturing me on Alex. I know him better than you. I know exactly what he's like and what he's capable of, and I don't care if I've broken him. _He _broke_ me_, now and seven months ago. I'll never forgive him for that, no matter what he says or does. I hate him. _I hate him!_"

Now I turned away from her, my head hanging so my hair fell to cover most of my face. We both had matching black eyes; I've just noticed that now. And on the same eye too. Although mine was a little older than hers by a few days, and was turning a nasty shade of greenish brown. And hers kind of blended in with all the others that decorated her face. I understood where she was coming from, but she just wasn't understanding me.

"You're lucky. I don't care what you say, but you are."

"How the Hell am I –" She started to growl, but I held my hand up to interrupt her.

"At least you don't have _Scott_ for your Goddamn master!!" I spat back, suddenly furious. My hands were clenched so tightly that my knuckles had turned stark pearly white. She was staring up at me, comprehension immediately dawning as to what I meant, her bottomless purple eyes softening once more.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between us after a few moments. "I didn't think…"

"It's ok."

Renami slowly attempted to sit up and I instinctively reached out with my hands to help her. Flashing me another grateful smile, she took them and I pulled her upright on the blanket.

"He… did that to you, didn't he?" She inquired gently, gesturing at my wounded torso. I glanced down, even though I didn't really need to, then brought my head back to her level again.

"Yes. Earlier today, before you fell down the stairs. He... likes hurting me. It gets him off." I told her, noticing how she flinched at how blasé I sounded. I didn't mention that he'd been fantasising I was her at the time. She didn't need to know that. She'd already been through enough without knowing that Scott was baying for her blood. I think she knew that anyway, but I didn't want to remind her of it.

With one remarkably steady hand, she extended her fingers and let the tips ghost down the length of one of the deep scratches that had been carved into my skin. She barely touched me, but it still stung, and my self-sewn stitches burned horribly. Maybe they were infected. To be honest, I couldn't care less if they were. Maybe they'd finish me off before my master could.

She sighed in pity, tracing over the rough stitchwork again, this time even lighter than before. Her eyes flickered up to meet mine.

"You stitched these up yourself?"

I nodded in reply, my lip finding its way between my teeth again.

"You learn new talents like sewing after spending time alone with Scott. You have to, or you'll bleed to death." I said scathingly, scowling at the thought of my master. "I was going to stitch you up too, after I'd cleaned you up a bit. But you woke up before I could."

She winced as I said that and pulled back her arm, running it back through her tangled lavender hair. Several hairs got wrapped around her fingers and were pulled out by the roots, but she didn't seem to notice.

"How... how bad is it?" She asked almost reluctantly, purple hairs fluttering down to the floor from her fingers. I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her as I looked her over once more, trying not to remember every time he'd slapped her, every time he'd kicked her, every time he threw her down onto the floor. I'd been there in the hallway when he'd done it. Scott had made sure I watched every single moment of it. I'd been left in Scott's room after he and Alex went to take Renami to the hospital, so I'd cleaned off all the blood and stitched myself back together. I didn't even bother trying to escape. I'd learnt long ago not to do that. I mean, look at Renami; I'd end up so much worse if I ever disobeyed Scott. And I'm talking from past experiences here.

"It's... bad." I admitted, trying to keep my gaze on the wall behind her rather than on her battered form. "You've got several cracked ribs and your shoulder was dislocated again, but I fixed that for you while you were sleeping. You're covered in cuts and bruises, but they should heal up in no time." I didn't want to elaborate, but I could tell she wanted me to. When I didn't, she sighed and cast her gaze over her own body, assessing the damage.

There was almost too much damage to assess. Handprints of bruises littered up and down her arms, around her waist, across her stomach and around her throat from where he'd grabbed hold of her so many times. Her bottom lip had a cut straight down the middle of it and that and her nose had been bleeding, but I'd already cleaned the majority of her face, although a nasty slash at her hairline was still dripping scarlet down her features. I'd have to stitch that up as well as her scars. Alex had thrown her roughly into the wall and she'd torn the healing wounds on her back wide open again. Her fingernails were cracked and bloody from where she'd briefly fought viciously back before one well-placed punch had brought her to her knees as she fell into unconsciousness.

Renami tenderly prodded the darkest foot-shaped bruises on her stomach and sides, wincing as she did so. Suddenly she coughed, and a bloody string splattered the floor.

"Well, that's not good." She joked weakly, seizing a handful of her skirt and mopping the blood from the ground. I'd clothed her back in the white dress Alex had left out for her, but it only covered her from the waist downwards. I couldn't lace up the corset until I'd stitched up her back and strapped up her cracked ribs. Which I hadn't been able to do yet, for obvious reasons.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"You seem to have a talent for understatement." I pointed out dryly. A genuine grin spread across her bruised face and she laughed delightedly at my unexpected sarcasm, even though the action must've hurt her ribs.

"And you seem to have a talent for sarcasm. We're going to get along just fine!" She chuckled. I shook my head sadly, saying nothing.

'_If we're lucky'_, I thought. I knew my days were numbered here. It was only so long before Scott got fed up of me and got rid of me for a newer fresher model.

Renami massaged her twice-dislocated shoulder, and then brought her hand up in front of her face as she noticed the white tape keeping her little finger secured to the one next to it. She glanced at me quizzically.

"He snapped your finger." I said.

"Ah..."

She flexed her hand experimentally. Surprisingly, that wondrous grin returned even quicker and wider than before.

"Well, at least one good thing came out of this."

"What?" I blinked, momentarily thrown.

"I can do the Spock sign with my fingers now."

"The what sign?" I don't think I've ever been so confused in my entire life.

"The Spock sign. Y'know, from Star Trek? That thing he does with his fingers. I couldn't do it before, but now I can." She demonstrated what she meant and I watched, fearful for her sanity.

"You're strange, you know that?" I said aloud before I could stop myself. Surprisingly, she laughed again, taking my comment as a compliment.

"Yup. 'Live long and prosper!'"

I rolled my eyes and turned away from her, shaking my head.

"No one can live long and prosper in a place like this." I muttered under my breath, but I know she heard me. Abruptly, her mood sobered as she lowered her hand back down to her lap.

"How long have you been here?" She asked me softly, again sounding so motherly that it made my heart ache. I shut my eyes tightly together, wishing I could forget everything.

"Nearly four months. According to Alex, I'm the only one of Scott's pets who's lasted longer than a fortnight. Lucky me, huh?"

"At least you're still alive."

"I'd rather be dead." I responded, bringing my knees up to my chin and hugging them tightly. Renami shifted slightly, almost biting through her bottom lip in an attempt not to cry out with the pain of every movement she made. With a great deal of effort, she dragged herself to sit beside me, by some miracle managing to raise her arm and wrap it comfortingly around my shoulders.

"I know how you feel, Maxie. I'd rather he'd killed me today. At least then... I could be..." She seemed to be searching for the right word. Lifting my head wearily, I supplied one.

"Happy?"

"No... Relieved. Painless. _Free_." She murmured, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal. "But Hell, that's not going to happen, is it? I can still keep dreaming though."

For some reason, I found myself relaxing against her as she relaxed against me. I was more comfortable sat beside her than I'd ever been in my life. I felt... safe, somehow. I don't know, maybe I just thought myself so Goddamn blessed I wasn't in the same shape she was.

"I know this might sound a little bit twisted," I broke through the hush after what must've been two minutes of peaceful silence, "y'know, considering what you've been through, but... I'm glad you're down here with me, Renami."

She laughed softly at that, even though the light-heartedness of the moment was somewhat spoiled by how she gripped her ribs in a white-knuckle hold. Panic stole its way up my spine and I wondered if she'd been hurt more than I'd originally thought. But she didn't let me dwell on it, drawing me closer towards her in her one-armed hug.

"So am I, Maxie. I'm glad to finally meet you in person."

"Instead of listening to my screams from the room above?" I commented wryly. She stiffened, and then punched me lightly on the arm with a scowl.

"Jesus Christ, and I thought _I_ was the morbid one." She muttered. I smiled and aimed a playful punch back at her, but didn't dare let it get within an inch of touching her bruised skin.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." I grinned for what must've been the first time in almost four months. You don't do much grinning when you've got a green-eyed psychopath standing before you with a new knife to test out on your body, trust me.

We slumped together companionably, taking comfort in the other being there as sleep began to take over us. I was so used to being alone down here in my basement/dungeon, huddled in a corner with tears streaming down my face as I cried myself to sleep. I could only guess that she'd been doing the same for the past week, only she'd had a nice comfy bed to weep her heart out in, while all I'd got was a thin ratty blanket thrown across the cold stone floor. I couldn't be jealous of her, though. Not now she was down here with me.

"Looks like me and you are gonna have to stick together, Maxie." She announced suddenly, just as I'd been about to drop off to sleep on her shoulder. My heavy eyelids wanted to slide shut and stay shut, but I forced myself to keep awake at least a few moments more to hear what Renami had to say. "I'll stop at nothing to get out of this shithole, and when I go, I'm gonna take you with me. No one, especially not a sweet kid like you, deserves to be here with those _monsters_... We'll get out of here soon. I promise."

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep, Renami. Let's face it, the only way either of us is getting out of here is in a body bag." I mumbled blearily, giving into the urge to snuggle into the long silky locks of her pale lavender hair that draped against my face and shoulder.

She stroked my golden-brown head soothingly, humming a soft tune under her breath.

"I'll get us out of here. Just you wait and see."

Before I could retort, my eyelids gave up the fight to stay open and I tumbled gently into the familiar wonderful blackness of a dreamless slumber, the last things I consciously remembered were her hand in my hair, her arm cradling me close, her soft rose petal lips pressed against my forehead the way my mom used to kiss me goodnight.

A warm feeling spread through my chest, and for once I welcomed sleep with a smile on my face.

* * *

Scott's POV:

His knuckles were bruised and bloodied. Unsurprisingly, most of the blood wasn't even his. Well, after the beating the living daylights out of that stupid bitch, naturally her blood was gonna be all over him, right? And the floor and the walls of the corridor too. Those stains are gonna be absolute murder to get out, but I don't care. I enjoyed myself watching too much to care. Maybe I enjoyed myself a little _too_ much. Added more stains of my own, if you get my drift.

I chuckled as I nursed Alex's hands in mine, tenderly dabbing at the split flesh with a cloth soaked in antiseptic. He hissed and swore a couple of times at the stinging, but I wouldn't let him pull away from me.

"Christ, Sugar, I haven't had so much fun in a long time!" I laughed aloud, subtly moving his hand further across my lap. "It's a shame she passed out when she did though. All the begging and screaming, bleeding out so prettily onto the floorboards… Damn, Alex. You don't realise how fucking _hot_ that was. It sure as Hell made my soldier salute!"

I'd expected him to stare at me in shocked disgust, yank his hand away and call me a psychotic sadistic son of a bitch, maybe even throw a few punches my way, despite how well he knew I enjoyed him kicking the shit outta me. But he didn't do anything. He didn't even twitch. He just stayed stock-still on the sofa beside me, staring almost unblinkingly across the room with blank unseeing eyes like he had been doing since we locked the unconscious bitch down in the basement with my _delicious_ pet Maxie.

"I'm not surprised." Alex spoke softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "It doesn't take much to get you off, Scott. Blood's nothing but an aphrodisiac to you."

His hands were clean now, and I laughed again, bringing one up to my mouth and brushing my lips along the damaged skin, smirking against his dark flesh when I felt rather than saw him shudder. His other hand I still held on my lap, fingers gripped tightly around his wrist to stop him from moving it back.

"Mmm… You know me so well, Sugar. I was hot over it back there. In fact, I'm still so hot over it now. Here, feel for yourself."

Before my words could even sink into his head, I pressed his hand hard against my groin, thrusting my hips forwards at the same time so the responding friction was just so damn euphoric that it nearly took my breath away. I was aroused, no question about it. Hard as a bloody rock. And, if possible, the feel of Alex's hand against me made me turn even harder. I could've took it in my hand and beaten him to death with it if I wanted to.

But I was disappointed that he didn't even attempt to pull away. I wouldn't have minded if he'd put his hand on my cock himself, but when he wasn't even fucking _looking_ at me... Well, let's just say that I was less than impressed at being ignored.

With a low feral growl, I pushed his hand away and swiftly straddled his lap, pressing myself so close to him that it just wasn't possible for him to look anywhere else. And just in case he decided to try, I grabbed his face in my free hand, glaring into his dark green eyes with a mixture of annoyance and lust.

"Now, now, Alex. I'd rather you play hard to get than not play at all." I told him, my voice dangerous. Alex stared up at me with empty eyes, merely sighing when I jerked on his chin.

"Scott, now really isn't..." He started to say, but I cut him off by clamping my hand over his mouth hard enough to leave bruises.

"Shut up! Stop being such a pussy over that bitch and grow a fucking pair, will you?!" I snarled. I wanted to grab him and shake him until his damn head fell off. Seriously, how the Hell did this _girl_ have such an effect on him? What's so special about her? Nothing I could see. I'm all he could ever want, ever dream of having, and yet he pines over _her_... It makes me _sick_.

"I've ruined everything, Scott. I shouldn't have hurt her... I got carried away..."

"Oh for fuck sake! She deserved it, Alex! You gave her the rules, and she disobeyed you, so she had to be punished. And you punished her! What's wrong with that? It's all logical and moral to me, Sugar."

Alex shook his head sadly, his movement restricted slightly by my hand still clutching his face.

"You're wrong." He muttered. I rolled my eyes, considering whether or not I should punch him in the face to make him get a Goddamn grip on reality. It wouldn't be one of my best ideas, because not only would I ruin his handsome face, but he'd probably kill me in response. As masochistic as I am, I'm not suicidal.

Suddenly an idea came to me. Like a light bulb been switched on inside my head. The perfect solution! A devious smirk spread across my face, and I bet I looked every bit as demonic as I felt.

"There's still one chance left, Sugar..." I purred, grinding myself against him. I hissed at the pleasure and even he couldn't prevent his breathing from getting heavier and his groin to respond almost as eagerly as mine. A spark of life flickered back in his eyes, and I could've sworn his arms were wrapped around my waist. I didn't look away from his face to check.

"We could always do things _my_ way..."

Alex froze. His arms were suddenly so tight around me that I'm sure I felt several ribs snap from the pressure.

"No." He growled, glaring up at me in a way that made a fearful shudder caress my spine in the most delicious way. I shrugged and flicked my dark hair back out of my eyes.

"It's your only option, Sugar. The only way she's gonna love you is if you make her love you now. You've tried the whole bullshit _wait-until-she-remembers-our-love_ thing, and that obviously hasn't worked. Try my way. Just take what you want, Alex. Who's gonna stop you? _Her?_ Hahaha, don't make me laugh. The shape she's in, I doubt she'd be able to win a fight against _Maxie_, for crying out loud. C'mon, Sugar. Surely you can see the sense in what I'm saying..."

I sat back on his lap, toying with the thin material of his shirt as I waited patiently for his answer. He hadn't thrown me off him yet, so that was a good sign. He blinked steadily up at me and I smirked back, baring my teeth maliciously.

"But," I said, something else occurring to me that made me even freaking happier, "there's still the matter of a certain promise to fulfil, remember? In case you forgot, Sugar, your pretty bitch gave me her word that I could do whatever I wanted to her, and I've yet to follow through on that."

It looked like Alex had literally stopped breathing. He couldn't disguise the swirl of fear in his eyes as I said that, but it was fear for her, not for him. Stupid possessive idiot. But even then, there was a hard edge of determination in his dark green depths that I was so familiar to. I knew that look. And I knew I'd won.

"You know how much I hate it when people break their promises, Sugar." I flashed him my best wolfish grin, knowing that he understood the double meaning in my words. His bitch wasn't the only one who'd made a promise to me. Alex himself had promised me something. He knew exactly what it was that I wanted from him. And I have yet to receive it. But all in good time. I'm a patient man, I can wait.

From the expression on his face, I could tell he understood what I meant.

"Fine." He gave in reluctantly. He averted his gaze and this time I let him. "We'll do things your way. I'll make her mine, and then you can have your promise of her."

"And then...?" I pressed eagerly, licking my lips in anticipation.

"And then I'll fulfil my promise to you."

I chuckled vindictively, releasing him to rub my hands together in glee. Satisfied for now, I got up off his lap, making sure to 'accidentally' cup his arousal with my hand as I did so. He inhaled sharply through his nose and I cackled at him.

"I don't know about you, Sugar, but I'm _so_ looking forwards to tomorrow!" I laughed delightedly. I felt his eyes boring holes into my back as I turned and exited the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts once more.

'_This is going to be fun...'_

* * *

**A whole chapter without Renami's POV, wow! :D**

**Let me know what you think. Personally, I think this chapter isn't one of the best, but hey, life sucks.**

**The next will be better. I'll make sure of it!**

**See ya! ^^**


	28. Love Me, Hate Me, Rape Me, Break Me

**Whoa, this is the most words I've ever written in a chapter for this fic. Over 13,000! I'm dead proud of myself :D**

**Ok, this chapter's going to need a warning people, in case you havent already guessed from the chapter title. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS RAPE. But dont worry, its brief, so if you dont want to read it, just skip those few lines when you get to them.**

**Oh, and this and the next chapter are going to be quite dark, but I promise that round about chapter 30 and after its going to get a lot lighter. I dont want to torture Renami any more :( I've already put her through enough, dont you think? So please bear with the emo-ness for another couple of chapters, ok? :)**

**Read on and review for me please :D**

* * *

Chapter 28

Renami's POV:

I was sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, staring at the wall opposite as Maxie fiddled with the fresh bandages he was looping around my entire torso. He'd only just finished stitching me up, which, by the way, had hurt like a complete _bitch_, but at least I wasn't bleeding any more. I'm surprised I've actually got any blood left in my Goddamn veins, to be honest.

"Lift your arms." He said, nibbling his bottom lip in concentration. I did as I was told, wincing from the sharp aching daggers of pain that practically tore my muscles in half from the movement, my previously dislocated shoulder searing like Hellfire. Shit, how can I be hurting so much? I know its obvious _why_, but I thought the feeling would've at least died down a little after a night's sleep. As usual, I was wrong. Now I felt even fucking worse, and I didn't even think that was physically possible.

Maxie's slender and delicate hands worked deftly as he skimmed over my breasts, wrapping my bandages securely with his face flushed bright pink. I rolled my eyes and chuckled softly under my breath. He must've either heard or seen me, because his face turned even darker, this time blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. Ah, bless him. Such a sweet kid. I have no idea how the Hell anyone can stay sweet in a place like this. I've been here little over a week and I'm practically foaming at the mouth with homicidal rage, my sanity and willpower ripping themselves apart at the seams, and yet Maxie here's as innocent and angelic as the day he was _born_. Granted, I'd hardly been anywhere near sweet even before I came here, but that's beside the point. I've always been a temperamental, hot-headed bitch. That's just the way I roll, baby.

Right now I was such a mess, and I don't just mean physically. Well, physically I looked like I'd been in a vicious fight with a double-decker bus and lost, but mentally I was even worse. I could feel my sense and reasoning inching a little further out of my grip with every passing moment and no matter how hard I fought, I couldn't claw it back within reach. I'm losing it, I really am. And that scares me more than Scott or Alex. The fact that I'm literally one more confrontation away from a full breakdown… I would rather have my body broken a million times over than completely lose myself to those bastards because my mind was too Goddamn _weak_ to hold on.

"There. All done." Maxie smiled shyly, tying the last knot of my bandages. When we'd both woken up earlier, someone had obviously been in while we were sleeping and had left some stuff for us in this cold, dark basement/dungeon room we were locked in. Plenty of bandages, antiseptic cream, a fresh needle and thread for stitches, a washbowl filled with warm water and the damp cloth Maxie had cleaned me with yesterday had been swapped for a less bloodstained one. They'd even left a pitcher of ice-cold water and a small fruit bowl with a couple of apples for us. I'd gratefully gulped down as much of my share of the water as I could, but refused the fruit. Maxie had pleaded with me to eat something, but I wouldn't let myself go back on my word, no matter how hard my empty stomach rumbled or how much the juicy crunching sound made my mouth water when Maxie took a bite out of one.

I knew who'd brought it all down for us. And I hope he goes and rots in the deepest corner of Hell. That'd seem like fucking nirvana compared to all the pain I'm gonna cause him if he comes within fingernail range.

"Thanks, Maxie. I owe you one." I smiled gratefully back over my shoulder at him as I gingerly pulled the corseted top half of my dress back up to its rightful place. Without me needing to ask him, Maxie immediately took hold of the strings and laced up the back for me. I winced and swore under my breath a few times from the new pressure against my damaged ribs, but I suppose it was acting as a brace for my injuries in a way, holding everything in place so I didn't puncture a lung or something. Which, knowing me, was probably pretty damn likely.

"You don't owe me anything."

I turned my head back to the front, not bothering to argue with him. Any other day, maybe I would've… but not today. I don't know why. I just… had a funny sort of feeling, y'know? My stomach was all clenched up into a jumble of tight knots and my head was pounding in time with my heartbeat, and there was just this… _feeling_… in my chest that something… I don't know how to describe it. I felt ill. Like I wanted to be sick… but at the same time I didn't. I've felt like this before, a couple of times. It wasn't a good sign, put it that way.

"Are you ok, Renami?" Maxie asked, his voice concerned. His hand tentatively touched my undamaged shoulder and I instinctively flinched at the warmth of his fingers against my bruised skin. I felt so weak and helpless, and the fact that all the bruises and cuts and whatever the Hell else that bastard did to me is on show for the whole fucking world to see… I thought I still had my pride, but I think I'm swiftly losing that too, along with the rest of me.

"Perfect. Never better." I replied sarcastically, but I made sure to flash another smile back at him so he knew my cynicism was only light-hearted. He didn't smile back this time, surveying me steadily through rich depths of toffee brown as he continued to chew anxiously on that bottom lip.

"Seriously, I'm fine, Maxie." I told him, reaching out with one hand at a somewhat awkward angle to pat his leg in reassurance.

"Well, that's debatable from where I'm standing." A voice that didn't belong to the younger boy sat behind me retorted sardonically. I knew instantly who its owner was. And even if somehow I hadn't guessed, the way Maxie's entire body suddenly froze so rigid that I heard his spine creak in protest and his eyes widened to impossible proportions would've given the game away without a moment's doubt.

My fists clenched tightly on my lap, my knuckles turning as white as the unmarked parts of my dress. No matter how much Alex had tried to clean it, the crimson bloodstains were still all too vivid on the ivory material, soaked in and refusing to be washed away.

"Scott." I spat his name with more venom than a viper without looking up.

"Kitten." The green-eyed bastard smirked in return. I whipped my head sharply up to meet his gaze at the mocking way he purred Alex's nickname for me as though he was a damn cat himself. Even the malicious glint in his emerald eyes seemed almost feline as he strode casually through the now unlocked door, nudging it shut again behind him with a well-placed kick with the heel of his boot.

"I take it there's no love lost between us, eh, pretty one?" He said as he leaned back against the door, folding his arms loosely across his chest as he grinned wolfishly down at the two of us still on the floor. Maxie cowered behind me, his hands trembling as he clutched at my arm in a grip that was agonisingly painful against all my bruises, but I didn't make any move to dislodge him. I was too focused on Scott now, sending my hatred for him via my vicious glare.

"There was never any love between us to start with, so forgive me if I don't cry myself to sleep right now." I retorted, gingerly but determinedly pulling myself to my feet so I could face him head-on, rather than looking up at him like a battered slave to her sadistic master. One of her sadistic masters.

Maxie rose with me, but as soon as I was steady enough on my own two feet, he released my arm and moved quickly back, flattening himself against the wall behind us, as far away from his tormentor as he could get. I wanted to retreat to a safe distance along with him, but there was no way I was gonna let myself cringe away from Scott like poor frightened Maxie. The last thing I wanted to do right now was to give that green-eyed demon more rope to hang me with. As if he didn't have enough already.

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for that later." Scott chuckled, his words so obviously a promise. A shiver trailed its way up my spine but I refused to let myself react to it.

"Don't hold your breath." I sneered back. "I won't cry for you or him, no matter what you do to me."

Scott's malicious grin widened by a couple of molars.

"We'll see about that." He replied knowingly, his green eyes sparkling eagerly. It hit me then, like a punch in the stomach. Scott knew something I didn't. He'd come down here for a reason, not just to taunt me or Maxie. He was… planning something, I could tell. Or he'd already planned something, and was here to carry it out. It was all there, only too damn readable on his handsome face. _But what exactly?_ I didn't really want to know. There's only so much torment my body can take, and it's taken way too much in the past couple of days. Whenever I come face to face with Scott, I can guarantee that I'm about to get hurt. It was inevitable.

And today wasn't about to be any different.

I glared at him as fiercely as I could and he merely smirked in response, straightening himself up from the door before he started making his way towards me, taking his time with each predatory step. Icy cold fear clawed at my insides as it always did whenever I came face-to-face with this green-eyed motherfucker. It was almost instinctive. My body telling itself it's about to be hurt in some way or another. Like my own fucking warning system. Not that I ever listen to it, of course. I wouldn't be Renami Safiya if I backed down whenever those warning bells rang, would I? Nope. That just ain't me. Unfortunately.

He came to a halt less than a metre away from me and we stared at each other for a few moments, me glaring, him smiling, before his gaze suddenly lifted from mine and fixed on a point just over my shoulder. He snorted aloud, his lip curling in a mixture of disgust and amusement.

"Ah, Maxie. As spineless as ever, I see. The nancy boy's gonna let the bitch fight his battles for him, hm? How… _predictable_." Scott leered nastily. The emphasis he put on the word 'predictable' didn't pass unnoticed by either me or Maxie, but I didn't understand what he meant by it. The kid got it straight away though, if the strangled gasp he gave in response was any indication.

"_No_…" Maxie whimpered, his breathing quick and shallow. I shot a quick glance back at him but I didn't even get chance to lock eyes with the younger boy before a large hand seized hold of my previously dislocated shoulder and a black haze of agony blinded me for a second, bile rising from my empty stomach as I clamped my lips together to hold back the scream that threatened to rip my vocal chords from my throat.

"Oh yes." Scott smiled pleasantly at Maxie, the effect somewhat ruined by the sadistic elation in his features and his voice. I sucked in a shuddering breath as my vision slowly returned and the pain became almost endurable. At the sound, Scott's attention snapped straight back down to me.

"Still hurts, does it?" He smirked, tightening his grip on my shoulder even more. I hissed vehemently through my teeth as my knees buckled from fresh waves of pain, but I refused to let them fold, instead forcing my last reserves of energy into lifting my head and glaring up at him as hatefully as I could.

"Go to Hell." I snarled. Scott threw his head back and laughed, the insane callous gales echoing around the small confined space and ringing in my ears.

"Take a good look around, my pretty. You're already in Hell!"

I didn't have a comeback to that. It was the truth, after all.

His fingers kneaded at my shoulder joint, sending further sharp twinges of agony jolting through the limb. I wanted to throw him off me, grab him and drag him to the floor so I could beat the living daylights out of him, but he and I both knew that would never happen in a million years. I couldn't do anything, just stand there and breathe shallowly through gritted teeth until he let go of me. Which I sincerely doubted he would do anytime soon, if that vindictive grin of his was anything to go by. All I could do was wait it out, feeling so fucking pathetic and helpless.

Suddenly he dug all five fingernails deep into my skin, making me involuntarily cry out in surprise and pain. But before he even had chance to draw blood, Scott was abruptly torn away from me with such force and speed that I blinked and missed the movement. The psychopath's green eyes widened with shock and he stumbled a little to the side, so I took advantage of that and swiftly stepped in the opposite direction, cradling my sore arm across my chest. I looked up, fully expecting to see Alex holding Scott back, but to my complete and unexpected surprise, Alex wasn't my rescuer this time.

The sight of sweet, shy little Maxie with his slender fingers locked around the taller, stronger man's arm was almost impossible to believe, and even more impossible to believe was just how much determination and anger swirled in those deep hazel eyes as he glared up at his abuser even more ferociously than I had.

"Leave her alone!" He shouted fiercely. There was a split-second of silence where I thought time had literally frozen, but then reality brutally returned in the form of a backhanded slap across Maxie's face from a now furious Scott that sent his young 'pet' crashing to the stone floor at his feet.

"Fucking cunt!" Scott snarled, lashing out at Maxie's ribs with one of his boots. It connected with a dull thud and Maxie moaned in pain, curling himself up into a fetal position. "Fucking idiot! Who do you think you're talking to, you cocksucking piece of shit?! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

Without hesitation, I launched myself at him, my injuries be damned. I crashed into him with my entire bodyweight, sending us both hurtling across the floor, me landing on top of him as we skidded to a stop a few metres away from Maxie. Stars erupted in front of my vision as all my wounds simultaneously screamed in protest and the weirdest ripping sensation tore across a small section of my back, followed immediately by warm wetness. _Aw shit, there goes my stitches._

Ripped stitches were the least of my worries, and those couple of seconds of disorientation gave Scott long enough to return to his senses and seize me by the throat. His fingers matched up almost perfectly with the handprint bruises that already encircled my neck as he cut off my airway completely, pulling himself back to his feet, taking me with him.

"Stupid bitch!" He growled, tightening his grip. I gasped vainly for air, tugging at his hands as I struggled to breathe, my feet dangling a good few inches from the ground. _This is it… I'm going to die…_ And I didn't care. Even as I kicked and squirmed in his steely hold, I swiftly realised just how little I actually gave a damn… and just how sweet the relief of death would be if he increased the pressure on my airway just the slightest bit more…

Suddenly, his hands relaxed and I would've sunk like a stone had he not grabbed me by the tops of my arms to keep me on my feet. My head felt heavier on my neck than it should have as I gulped down as much oxygen as I could, just in case the bastard decided to try and throttle me again. When I could breathe without my throat burning or tasting blood in my mouth, I opened my eyes I didn't know I'd closed and only just stopped myself from recoiling as Scott's cruel grin came into sharp focus inches from my own face.

"Oh, this is just precious." He cackled derisively. "Even better than I hoped it would be. Y'know, you're not a hard girl to figure out, Renami Safiya. All it takes is to learn exactly what makes you tick and _voila!_ I can read you better than any book, pretty one."

I glared at him hatefully, my throat hurting too much for me to speak. Christ, after how many times I've been strangled over this last week, I'm surprised my airways haven't just complete given up hope and collapsed. That's all I wanted to do now. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say _"Y'know what? Fuck this."_

But I won't. I can't. I'm too Goddamn stubborn to give up, especially when it's not only my own neck I'm planning on saving from this shithole. I made a promise to Maxie last night and I intend to keep it. And another promise I intend to keep is one to myself. I'm going to do everything I can to get Maxie and me out of here as soon as humanly possible, and by everything I mean _everything_. If all it takes is to make another deal with Scott, then I'll do it. Or if the only option is to kill the bastards, then I won't hesitate to gut them like pigs. A week ago, I wouldn't even consider murder. Yeah, I would've felt murderous and wanted to send them straight to Hell where they belong, but I wouldn't have ever dreamed of literally taking their lives. I'm not a murderer. But now… well, I haven't really got anything left to lose, have I?

Scott's hand moved up from my arm and gently trailed my cheek, pressing his fingers against one of the many inky black bruises that covered the majority of the left side of my face.

"Today's the day, pretty one." He smiled as I unintentionally winced when he touched a particularly tender bruise. "Today's the day at long last! Today we're finally going to break your fighting spirit, my pretty, and we're going to make you love _every damn second_ of it."

"What're you talking about?" I growled, but the sudden rush of numbness freezing my heart told me that my body had already worked it out, even though my brain hadn't caught up yet.

"Isn't it obvious? Alex is going to claim you, pretty one. He's finally going to make you his, and there's nothing you can do about it. He's only human, after all. He's got his basic needs, desires to be sated… but you'd know all about that now, wouldn't you?"

The way he leered at me, the sadistic sparkle of his emerald eyes… Oh God, they gave away more than his voice ever could. He was hiding something alright, and my stomach tightened in fear, not only because the time I'd been dreading since my first day here was mere moments away, but… because I had a pretty good idea at just what _else_ he was implying. And if I'm right, it was bad news. Very bad news indeed.

"What're you talking about?" I repeated, this time in apprehension rather than anger. Scott grinned, baring his teeth like he was about to take a bite out of my throat. I wouldn't put it past him, to be honest.

"Don't act so coy. We both know what I'm talking about."

"No. I don't."

Scott snorted in amusement, tossing his head almost impatiently to flip his dark brown hair out of his eyes without having to release me to brush it back with his hand. He wrapped a lock of my own hair around one of his fingers and tugged it gently as he levelled me with a wry smirk that damn near reached his ears it was that wide.

"Huh. Don't lie to me, you know exactly what I mean. And I really think you should start admitting to it, my pretty, or I might just have to _accidentally_ let it slip and tell him just how much of a whore his precious Not-So-Virgin Mary is."

My head jerked as though he'd physically reached out and slapped my just like he'd slapped Maxie not long ago. My heart literally froze in my chest for what must've been about two whole beats before it came back to life with a jolt, banging so hard against my ribcage that it felt like it was about to burst from my chest. _Oh no... Oh God, no... He knows... How can he know...?_

"Surprised?" He chuckled nastily at my stunned silence. "I guessed you would be. I followed you, remember? For _weeks_, pretty one. And I learnt so much about you and all your _delicious_ friends. But the best part of my little reconnaissance mission was witnessing your desperate trip to the Kaiba Mansion. I saw everything, babe. All I had to do was climb a tree and what d'you know, I got the best seat in the house! It was hot, by the way. I think I made a mess of my trousers while I was up there, but hey, I know _you _enjoyed it far more than I did. I'm surprised the neighbours didn't hear you. Or did they just think you were another one of those prostitutes he's so partial to? You certainly acted like one, my pretty. Who would've thought such a sweet innocent-looking girl like you is really a no-good filthy whore in disguise? It's a shame, really. Alex was so looking forward to being the first to screw you, but pretty-boy Seto Kaiba got there first. He'll be _so disappointed_ when he finds out..."

He leaned in close to me, the flesh of his cheek warm against my throat as he murmured in my ear in a mockingly seductive purr.

"_If_ he finds out, that is."

"Blackmailing me again, Scott? As if my friends weren't enough to keep me on your fucking leash!" I snarled back, the overall shock ebbing away as it was slowly but surely replaced as it usually was by my building temper.

"Ah, blackmail is such a strong word, pretty one. I prefer to think of it as a tasty little treat to make sure the little bitch plays nice with the big bad wolves." He smiled, nuzzling into my neck. I growled deep in my throat (living up to his dog metaphor of me) and tried to pull away, but his other hand held me firmly in place by gripping a larger handful of my hair and pulling it taut, baring my throat even more to him.

"Forget it!" I told him, my voice a little strained from the uncomfortable angle. He nuzzled my throat again, and then I felt something warm and wet trail its way up my jugular vein, my blood pulsing under his tongue. "Go ahead and tell him! If anything, it'll only make him kill me sooner, and I just don't give a damn anymore."

Scott's tongue paused halfway back down my vein and left my skin. He pulled away slightly so he could look me full on in the face, his emerald green eyes as unreadable as the expression on his face. I couldn't tell what he was thinking right then. Not that I could ever tell what he was thinking.

"You want to die?" He asked. Not threateningly, but as though he was genuinely curious.

"No. I want you to die." I said, staring up at him with my eyes as hard as ice. His hand was still tangled in my hair, but he didn't pull it as tightly as he had been doing before. Scott looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded slowly.

"Of course you do." He replied, that infamous sadistic smirk of his playing at his lips. "It's inevitable that you hate me, my pretty, just like you hate Alex. But trust me, by the time we're through with you today, you're going to hate us a Hell of a lot more!"

I don't think my hatred for the two green-eyed psychopaths could get any more intense if it tried. It's already way past boiling point as it is. I was about to open my mouth and tell him this but it was at that moment that he roughly shoved me away from him so hard that I staggered and almost tripped over Maxie still curled up on the floor. I would've thought he was dead if I couldn't see the telltale rising and falling of his shoulders and the shallow gasping noises he made as he breathed.

"We're leaving, pretty one. Pick him up, he's coming with us." Scott smiled as I righted myself, furiously fighting a wave of dizziness that had suddenly made my head spin from the swift movement.

"No! Whatever you're going to do to me, leave Maxie out of it!" I put myself between the younger boy and our tormentor, spreading my arms, protecting him with my battered body.

Scott rolled his eyes.

"So predictable." He muttered in annoyance, striding towards us and seizing me by the arm before he bent down and dragged Maxie back to his feet with his free hand. I thought the boy had been unconscious or something since he'd made no move at all to get up on his own earlier, but he was very much awake as he was yanked upright. He was still clutching his stomach and his toffee eyes were brimming with tears of pain and shame as he breathed through gritted teeth.

"I don't understand why you insist on doing everything the hard way." Scott commented as he forced us towards the door. "It only makes it worse for you. So does your insufferable nobleness towards your friends and your idiotic self-sacrificing nature. Think of this as a well-deserved lesson, pretty one. _You_ landed yourself into this for them... so who's going to save you?"

I didn't answer him. Maxie looked over to me and discretely extended his hand out between us. Gratefully, I slipped my hand into his and held on tight, giving him a weak smile in response, our grip reassuring us both as Scott dragged us from our prison and up into the house above, where Alex was waiting.

* * *

(A few hours later)

Mokuba's POV:

I was going to be late home again, but I didn't care. Its horrible back at the Mansion, I just can't stand it! Ever since Renami was... _k-kidnapped_... things haven't been the same. I mean, of course they weren't going to be the same! Renami was GONE! Someone's taken her away and no one knows what they're doing to her! I don't want to know what they're doing to her; I just want her back as soon as possible. If she's hurt, we can take her to the hospital and she'll be better in no time! All we need to do is find her and bring her back safe and sound.

My big brother's so determined to find her. The board of directors at KaibaCorp have been complaining that he's ignoring the company, basically throwing away everything they've worked for just for the sake of one insignificant teenage girl. That's what they said. I heard them. I don't think they knew I was there, but it was so hard to keep my mouth shut when they were talking about Seto and Renami like that.

They act like they hate each other. Seto and Renami, I mean. Whenever they're together, they're always arguing but I can tell neither of them really mean it. And now it really makes me sad how Seto denies that he cares about her. It's obvious he does. This is killing him. I can see it in his eyes, and he's affected more than he'd ever admit even to himself.

I didn't want to go home straight away so I made my way to Domino Park instead, and sat down on the first wooden bench I found, half-shaded beneath one of the large oak trees. I dumped my book bag down beside me and pulled my legs up, sitting cross legged as I hung my head, my long black/blue hair falling down either side of my face. I don't want to cry. I'm sick of crying. It's all I've been doing lately. All I have to do is remember the slightest little thing about her and…

"Hey, kid." A voice came from my left as I snuffled as quietly as I could, hastily wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands before I lifted my head to see a tall dark-haired man looking down at me. He was wearing faded jeans and a hooded jacket, his hands deep in his pockets to keep warm. I was wearing my coat and scarf so I was fine in the cold evening air, but he was shivering slightly, his teeth chattering. And despite it being quite a cloudy day, he was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes completely from view.

"Yes?" I asked, blinking up at the stranger curiously, trying to figure out what was with the sunglasses. The man tilted his head as he stared at me for a moment.

"You're Seto Kaiba's brother, right?" He said.

"Yep. I'm Mokuba Kaiba." I nodded, smiling brightly at him. He grinned back, baring his teeth in a smile that was almost cruel. I shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cold.

"Ah, good. I need you to give him something from me. It's important." He told me, drawing one hand out of his pocket and offering me an ordinary-looking brown paper envelope with my big brother's name scribbled across the white label on the front. I looked at it warily.

"Don't worry, kid." The stranger laughed. "It won't bite. Or explode. I promise."

"Is it work-related?" I asked him, still not taking the envelope from him. "Because if it is, you should go deliver it to the Kaiba Corporation building downtown."

"Oh no, this is an important _personal_ matter. It's really urgent, kid. The sooner you get it to him, the better."

I hesitated for a few seconds then reached out and took the envelope, sliding it safely into my book bag. When I looked back up, the man was scratching his chin thoughtfully, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Thanks for doing me this favour, Mokuba. I really appreciate it."

"It's ok. I'll give it to him as soon as I get home." I smiled back at him, unfolding my legs and standing up from the bench, throwing the strap of my book bag securely over my shoulder. The man stepped to the side as I walked past him, making my way across the park, heading for home.

"Hey, kid!"

I paused and turned back around. I hadn't got very far, only a few metres away from him. He reached up and pulled down his sunglasses so he was staring at me over the rim. I could see his eyes properly for the first time.

"And give him this message for me too. Tell him to enjoy the show." The stranger grinned, winking at me with one bright emerald green eye.

* * *

Seto's POV:

"Do you understand what you have to do?" I demanded, only just restraining myself from glaring across the desk at the girl. She hadn't done anything to deserve a glare, but it was like I couldn't help myself. All I seem to be doing these days is glaring and scowling and, God forbid, crying. Well, I cried once. It won't happen again. Of that I'm deadly certain.

"I do." Ana replied shyly, but with determination, the young redhead maid coming in useful for something other than housecleaning. "I won't let you down, Mr Kaiba, sir."

"No, you won't." I said, the tone of my voice dangerous. If she did let me down, then she'd better start running as far the fuck away as she possibly could, because I'd tear her Goddamn head off. And in the state I'm in right now, I think I'm capable of just about anything.

Ana's face visibly paled beneath her freckles and she nodded quickly at the thinly veiled threat, leaving my office as swiftly as her skinny legs would carry her. When the door slammed shut behind her, my shoulders slumped from their rigidly tense position and I sighed heavily. I'm so tired. I need to fucking _sleep_, but I can't, because all I see when I close my eyes is _her!_ She's haunting my dreams. She stands there, staring at me with accusing amethyst eyes full of pain. I always try to reach for her, but she's always too far away. It's damn infuriating. Not to mention that a small part inside me crumbles away and dies every single time, no matter how much I'd never admit it, or how hard I try to hide it. I can't hide it from myself. I wish I could.

Suddenly, the double doors of my office were flung open and I jerked upright in surprise, my back practically at a ninety-degree angle. I bet I looked like a deer caught in the freaking headlights for a few seconds before my little brother Mokuba walked into the room and I hastily smoothed my features back into neutrality. No one could read me as effectively as Mokie could. I kept myself in check in front of him even more fiercely than in front of anyone else. It's so difficult, and it gets more difficult every day, but by some miracle I managed it. Barely.

"Mokuba." I greeted. Mokuba came around the side of my desk and I turned in my seat just in time for him to throw his arms around my neck and hug me within an inch of my life. And I hugged him back just as tightly.

"Big brother." He murmured against my collarbone. "Have you found anything?"

I'd been expecting the question, but I still winced before I could stop myself. Mokie felt me tense up and lifted his head questioningly. I forced myself to shake my head. Once.

"No, not yet." I grit out, feeling as though the words had literally been ripped from my throat. Mokuba's arms dropped from around my neck and instead wrapped around his own small torso. "I'm sorry, Mokuba."

"It's ok." He mumbled, his head bowed as he stared down at the carpet instead of meeting my gaze. But it wasn't ok. That much was obvious. "I didn't really expect you to have found anything, but I had to ask."

"I understand." I did. I really did. This was killing my baby brother as much as it was killing me. It was killing everyone that cared for Renami. It was killing everyone that loved her.

"I've got something for you. A man gave me it in the park today, when I was on my way home from school. He said it was urgent and personal and I had to give it to you straight away." Mokuba said, swinging his book bag in front of him and digging in it with one hand, eventually bringing out a brown paper envelope. He held it out to me and I took it from his pale fingers, holding it up to my eyelevel. It was pretty much unremarkable, no different from any other brown paper envelope, my name scrawled in messy shorthand across a white label stuck on the front. I frowned at it for a beat before I slit it open halfway with one finger.

The scent hit me like a punch to the face. I physically recoiled from the sweetness of the aroma, nearly falling off my chair in the process. Mokuba was watching me with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and apprehension as I held the envelope as far away from me as I could without releasing it. I knew that scent. Oh God, I knew it only too damn well. _Vanilla_…

With my free hand, I jabbed the intercom button on the desk.

"Get Mutou and his friends over here _now!_" I spat into the device louder than I'd intended to. There was the briefest pause on the other end before a male voice answered. I was so fired up I didn't even know who I was shouting at, but I didn't care.

"Um… they're already here, sir."

"What?! Why?!"

"I don't know, shall I ask them –"

"No, send them up here right now! Rehema too!"

"Yes, sir."

I sat back, breathing shallowly through my teeth. All I could smell was vanilla, caressing my nose, shrouding my head entirely in a thick sweet cloud of fragrance. A small hand tugged at my sleeve and I looked down to see Mokuba staring up at me, his indigo eyes wide with nothing but absolute fear.

"Seto, what's going on?" He asked, his voice trembling slightly. I lurched forwards in my chair so fast I nearly headbutted my brother in my haste. He tripped backwards slightly and I clamped my hands on his shoulders to keep him in place.

"The man who gave you this, what did he look like?" I demanded. Mokie was shaking so much that I could feel the tremors vibrating up my own arms from his slender frame.

"H-he was tall, with darkish skin and he was wearing jeans and a hooded jacket. When he smiled at me he was… _scary_."

"What colour eyes did he have?" I questioned, almost dreading the answer.

"Bright green."

I swore vehemently under my breath, my anger level rising. _Scott. That bastard Scott_. He'd been so close to my brother. He could've… No. I cut that thought off right there. That son of a bitch better not have laid one finger on Mokuba, because then I'd have even more reason to hunt him down and remove his head from the rest of his fucking body. As if I didn't have reason enough already.

"Did he touch you?"

Mokuba didn't respond quickly enough so I gave him a brief but firm shake, prompting him to answer me.

"No, he just gave me the envelope! I swear!"

I grabbed my little brother again and nearly suffocated him in a fierce hug that was ten times tighter than the first.

"Thank God." I murmured into his long hair that tickled my face.

"Kaiba?" A familiar voice came from the doorway. I rearranged my features back to stoic and released Mokuba from my grasp.

"Go to your room and stay there, Mokie." I told him, looking him dead in the eye. "Understand?"

Mokuba nodded fearfully and left the room quicker than Ana had, easily skirting around Rehema and Mutou's gang on his way without a second glance. They all watched his exit with identical looks of confusion before focusing their undivided attentions on me and crowding into my office, one of them shutting the door behind them.

"Why are you here?" I directed the question at Yugi because he was in my sights at the front of the group. He swallowed hard, looking as though he was fighting back tears as he took a couple of steps forward and dropped something on my desk.

"I found this. It'd posted through Yami's letterbox, but it was addressed to me." Mutou said, moving back away from me again. I looked down but didn't pick the tattered piece of paper up. I didn't need to. I could read it all too clearly from where I was.

'_Dear Yugi and friends, I suggest you get to Kaiba's mansion as soon as possible, because this is one show that's going to need an audience, and Renami would be so disappointed if you missed it. Enjoy the performance, boys.'_

"_Scott_." I growled his name like a curse, resisting the undiluted urge to tear the note into shreds. I glanced back up at everyone in my office, watching me, waiting with trepidation.

"He knows you're living with Yami whilst the Game Shop is still being repaired." I told Yugi. He nodded in agreement, saying nothing else as he wrung his hands together so hard that he was in danger of ripping his own fingers out of their sockets.

"What's that bastard talking about?" Marik spoke up, voicing the question that was on everyone's lips. I didn't answer him, instead turning my attention back to the envelope Mokuba had given me. I slit it fully open now, and the scent was so strong that it seemed to fill the whole room. Everyone other than me inhaled simultaneously, recognition sparking through their eyes and stiffening their bodies as they mentally connected the dots and put that smell together with the one person we all related it to.

"Oh God," Rehema breathed, her voice quivering with dread. I ignored her and the vanilla, upending the envelope so its contents emptied out onto the top of my desk. A DVD disc in a thin plastic packet and one long lock of bloodstained pale lavender hair. I breathed in so hard that my lungs ached in protest, but I couldn't do more than stare down at my desk at the hair and blink dumbly, a million possibilities exploding through my head like supernovas.

"It's… the hair… covered in…" Yami muttered in broken sentences, his horrified expression mirrored by all the room's occupants. Rehema had started crying, as had Ryou and Yugi. And the others didn't look to be far off either. I stayed completely dry-eyed, fury rising like bile up my throat as I leant forwards, grabbed hold of the plastic-encased DVD by the very edge and took it with me as I stood up sharply, my chair clattering backwards where it lay forgotten the second it collided with the carpet.

"Follow me." I ordered, sidestepping my desk with ease. "Now."

I strode from my office as fast as my legs could go, not bothering to look back to check if they were behind me. I didn't need to look. Of course they were following me, right at my heels like fucking lapdogs. But I don't blame them. Whatever was on this disc was important and obviously had something to do with Renami. A ransom recording, maybe? I don't think so, since I felt it was a week too late to be a ransom, but I seriously hope it was and not something… _worse_.

I lead them briskly down to the first floor, heading straight for the flat screen TV mounted on the wall of the lounge without slowing down as I entered the room. My fingers were trembling as I fumbled with the DVD player, hiding my weakness from the others with my body. _I'm barely holding myself together_. But by some miracle, I still fucking _am_ doing, so I'd sooner die than let them see one single fucking moment of weakness from me.

With the slightest hiss, the DVD slid smoothly into the machine and I stepped back from the screen, remote in hand. Silently, all nine of the others sat themselves down on the sofas, the couples holding hands and Rehema gripping her own so tightly that her fingers had turned stark pearly white. I didn't sit down. I didn't belong with them in this picture. I didn't belong with them at all. Never have done, never will do. Instead I took my place standing behind the couch directly opposite the TV, my fingertip almost unwillingly jabbing the play button on the remote.

The screen stayed black for a couple of seconds before a picture abruptly spread to fill the screen. It was a bedroom, the walls and carpet a deep dark shade of purple with mahogany furniture. A large bed was the main feature, directly in the camera's viewpoint, which seemed to be coming from the ceiling, in one of the corners of the room. Everything was in sight, even the doorway and the window secured with thick iron bars on the outside, obviously preventing escape. My stomach immediately twisted itself into knots of apprehension. _Oh God._ No way is this going to be a ransom message. No way in Hell. Safiya isn't that lucky.

There was a man sat on the edge of the bed, his head bowed as he stared down at his hands folded in his lap. His long hair hid most of his face behind black curtains that reached well down to his waist and he was shirtless, wearing only his jeans, his well-built chest gleaming in the small gaps of sunlight shining through the barred window. He sighed heavily, running one hand back through his ebony tresses. The camera was a damn good quality because I could clearly see his dark green eyes, so dark they were practically black. _Not Scott. Alex._

Suddenly, his head snapped up in the direction of the door, and sure enough it was thrown wide open less than a second later, three more people entering the room, one shoving the first two roughly forwards hard enough to make them stumble and cling to each other for balance. The one doing the pushing I recognised instantly as that bastard Scott even though this was my first time seeing him. His emerald green eyes glinted as he cast a sly grin and a wink straight at the camera. Seething murderous hatred seemed to streak like lightning through every pore of my body, but I managed to keep myself under control. For now.

The smaller of the two holding each other was a young boy who couldn't have been more than fourteen years old, with messy golden-brown locks and bright hazel eyes. His skin was pale from him obviously being kept inside for too long and his bare chest was skeletal and scarred with wounds, both old and new. I could count every damn bone in his body, since they were so close to tearing straight through his papery-thin skin. I had no idea who he was, but the older teenage girl he was clinging to was someone I knew only too well. The sight of her sent an uncomfortable jolt straight through my chest. And when I took a second closer look, my heart jolted again, but this time for a different reason.

She was hurt. Badly, by the looks of it. She was wearing a dress that had once been white but was now bloodied and torn, and hung off her slender frame that had gotten even more slender over the past week. She was almost as bony as the boy now. But she was in a much worse state than him. She was covered in cuts and bruises, with dark inky purple handprints around her throat and arms, the places that weren't hidden by the material of her dress. God only knew what the Hell else was lurking under her clothes, but judging by the way she moved and held herself, there was something wrong with her ribs. I could see the left half of her face from the camera view, which was swollen and black with bruises, with a split bottom lip and cut at her hairline that had obviously been stitched shut.

"What've they _done _to her?" Malik breathed in horror to a chorus of gasps and swearwords from the other boys when they took in the sorry state of their purple-haired friend.

"Made a fucking punching bag out of her." Joey hissed furiously, his fists clenching where they rested on his thighs. His boyfriend, Duke, quickly tried to soothe him by stroking the back of his hand tenderly with his own. It worked only slightly, but for how long, I had no idea. And I didn't care. My undivided attention was fixed straight on that TV screen, only blinking when I needed to.

The first man, Alex, rose from the bed and made his way towards them, his face a completely emotionless mask that would've rivalled my own stoic features. Renami shifted her weight slightly, her body tensing as she glared at her approaching captor and I knew instinctively that she was about to do something that would swiftly come back to bite her on the ass as soon as she moved. I don't know if she's realised, but whenever she was about to get into some form of argument or fight, she always moved like that, readying herself for the right moment to strike. She's done it with me a fair few times, just in case our banter battles turned nasty. It's a defensive move on her part as well as offensive, I suppose.

"Kitten." Alex started. He looked like he was about to say more but Renami lurched forwards and delivered a true beauty of a punch to his handsome face, throwing her whole strength behind it. The loud cracking of cartilage and bone echoed through the speakers, and I wasn't the only one who winced at the sound. Alex's head snapped back, his eyes and mouth wide with shock as blood began to stream from both nostrils, staggering a few drunken steps backwards.

Renami spun on her heel, fully intending to make a break for it but Scott intercepted her before she could reach the door, seizing her by the hair and tossing her bodily facedown onto the bed. She struggled to get to her feet but Scott grabbed both her arms and pulled them straight up behind her, forcing his knee into the small of her back to keep her in place. An ear-splitting howl of pure agony filled the room on screen and also the room we were in right now. Goosebumps erupted all over my body and fear and panic clawed their way up my spine, gripping my insides so tightly that I could barely breathe properly. God, that sound was fucking inhuman… How much pain was she in if all it took to force a noise like that from her was one knee pressed into her back?

Scott gave one extra sadistic tug on her arms and grinned widely at the cry she gave before getting off her, dragging her upright to sit beside him on the bed. He threw his arm around her shoulders and she lolled against him, gasping and panting through gritted teeth.

"Play nice, remember?" He chuckled to her, tilting her chin towards him with one hand. Shame, pain and hatred burned bright in her purple eyes as she unwillingly stared into his sparkling green depths. I could practically read her thoughts from here. "Play nice with us, pretty one, and we'll play nice with you."

"Don't do that again." Alex spoke from where he now stood at the opposite side of the room, directly behind the younger boy with his hand placed almost casually on one of his scrawny shoulders. The boy was trembling so hard that the man's arm shook along with him, but that didn't seem to bother him.

I thought he'd directed that comment at Renami, but from the way Scott's smirk suddenly turned into a furious scowl in a split second made me rethink that. Twin trails of crimson snaked down the darker skin of the taller man, reaching his lips and staining his teeth, but he either didn't notice or care as he stood and stared at the pair on the bed.

"I'll do whatever I want, Sugar. Don't forget what you promised me." Scott growled warningly up at him. "Now give her the fucking ultimatum before she tries to maim you again."

Alex's eyes flickered with sadness that surprised me in a way, since I hadn't been expecting to feel any form of sympathy for the bastard that held Renami captive. And yet I did.

"I'm not a bad man, Renami, even though I've done some bad things that I'm not proud of. I didn't want it to come to this but you've given me no choice. I'm sorry, Kitten. I really am." He murmured softly, almost regretfully as he kept his gaze fixed a few inches above her head to prevent himself from meeting her eyes. Renami was frowning, wincing a little at the pain it caused the bruised side of her face.

"You're not sorry. You don't even know the meaning of the fucking word! Don't apologise to me when we all know you don't mean it." She retorted fiercely, trying vainly to pull herself out of Scott's unbreakable hold.

All traces of sorrow instantly vanished from his features to be replaced by white-hot fury and he yanked the boy closer to him, wrapping his hand around the paler throat tight enough to make the younger teenager splutter for breath and claw at the hand clamping his airway shut, his eyes bulging alarmingly in his skull as his face slowly started to turn blue.

"_NO!_ Let him go!" Renami shouted, surging to her feet to run to him. Scott let her move just far enough away before he reached out and grabbed her easily by the shoulder that I suddenly noticed was marred with a large black bruise. That, I realised, was what she'd been taken to the hospital for. Her dislocated shoulder.

Another yelp of pain left her mouth as she was dragged back to him but she immediately struggled against the stronger man, trying to fight her way to her choking friend. It wasn't working. If anything, Scott just gripped her harder.

"Stop squirming, babe. You'll miss what Alex has to say. And the sooner you stop fighting, the sooner little Maxie here gets to breathe again." He laughed derisively in her ear. Renami instantly fell still, breathing shallowly in his arms. Almost as though he couldn't help himself, he leaned forwards and buried his face into her long lavender hair, inhaling deeply.

"_Mmm_… I've never noticed just how _delicious_ you smell, pretty one… _Vanilla_…" He murmured, nuzzling into her pale purple tresses, his lips stretching into a smug smirk at her obvious discomfort. Her lip curled in repulsion, but she knew better than to move away from him.

Alex released Maxie and the boy took several grateful gulps of oxygen through hiccupping sobs as tears streamed down his thin pale face. But his relief was short-lived as Alex swiftly forced him to his knees before him so he was now staring up at his captor through toffee-coloured bambi eyes that were impossibly wide with terror and panic.

"What're you –"

"Shut up, Renami." He interrupted her before the question could even finish leaving her lips, entwining his hand into Maxie's golden-brown locks. "You're _mine_, understand? I fucking _own you_. And I'm fed up of waiting for you to remember our love, so I'm going to _make you_ remember. You're going to do everything we say without question or hesitation, because if you don't, then you get to watch me and Scott fuck Maxie until he bleeds. And then we'll kill him."

His face spread into a wide maniacal smile that scared the ever-living shit out of me, never mind her or any of the others. At that moment, I could truly see just how close to insanity he was. And he wasn't damn far off, believe me.

"Or better yet, we'll make _you_ kill him. It'd be a mercy, I suppose. Putting him out of his misery after we're through with him."

"You… wouldn't do that, you can't make me do that… It's not you, you won't…" Renami stammered, her voice strained with pure horror. Her face had turned ashen beneath all the bruises and she was quivering too, just like Maxie, who now looked to be seconds away from a full-blown panic attack. Hell, after hearing something like that, I'm surprised the poor kid hadn't already fainted or something.

Alex's grin now mirrored Scott's.

"Try me, Kitten. I'll stop at nothing, and you can't stop me no matter what you do. Just accept it. It'll be more pleasant for everyone if you just give in without a fight."

"Leave Maxie out of this." She demanded, her voice so much steadier than I'd expected it to be. Scott chuckled sadistically and Alex shook his head slowly.

"I don't think so. It seems that the only way to make you cooperate is by threatening the people around you. You care too much, Renami. You've barely spent twelve hours with him, and already you're protecting him at your own expense. Caring makes you weak, and when you're weak, you're so much easier to manipulate." Alex told her, his features expressionless but his dark eyes gleaming with maniacal elation. Scott leaned forwards, looking eager and hungry as he cast another sly glance and a self-satisfied smirk at the camera. I found myself viciously glaring back at him, even though I knew only too damn well that he couldn't see me.

Renami lifted her chin defiantly as she glared at Alex, jerking her shoulder in Scott's grip even though it obviously hurt her to do so.

"I don't care. Just let him go."

"Why do you think we locked you down there with him?" Scott hissed maliciously in her ear, still speaking loud enough for the camera to pick up every word. "So we'd have a little bit more leverage over you for today. You're nothing if not consistent, pretty one. Ever the bleeding heart going out of her way to help pathetic little sluts like my pet here. Oh so predictable."

Renami shuddered and averted her gaze down to the carpet at her feet. Alex absently stroked his fingers through Maxie's golden-brown tresses, his eyes focused solely on the purple-haired teenage girl in the other green-eyed bastard's grasp.

"Do we have a deal, Kitten?" Alex asked. Renami lifted her head back up to meet his slowly, her eyes hardening with a resigned determination that I'd seen before, and that had me digging my fingernails into the back of the sofa. I knew what she was going to say. _God, Renami, don't do it, don't say it... I know you will, but just... for once in your life, just don't..._

Silence for a couple of seconds. Not one of us in the room dared to breathe, watching and waiting with trepidation for her answer. Even though we already knew it. And wished with every fibre of our beings that we were wrong.

"Yes. We have a deal." She murmured. My heart sank. A chorus of gasps, whimpers, groans and swearwords echoed around me from all sides, but I barely heard them. It felt like I was the only one in the room, staring into Renami's own personal Hell and being unable to do a single fucking thing about it.

"_No!_" Maxie cried out loud, tears streaming down his face, glittering in the light even on the TV screen. "No, Renami, don't let them use you like this..."

"Shut the fuck up, whore!" Scott spat as he released Renami and strode forwards, yanking Maxie back to his feet by a handful of his hair. Maxie howled in pain before he was forcibly dragged by the green-eyed man to the corner of the room, straight underneath the camera in its only blind spot, completely out of sight. Now Alex and Renami stood alone in the middle of the bedroom, both staring each other down as they slowly circled around, barely blinking as they swapped places so Alex now found himself with his back to the bed. Breaking eye contact, he glanced backwards and dropped down onto the edge of the bed, his legs casually spread and his hands resting lightly on his thighs, regarding Renami steadily.

"Come here." He told her. She tensed, looking like she fully intended to tell him where to shove it, but a muffled yelp of pain that came from out of view made her shudder and she forced herself towards him. He patted his knees expectantly and she straddled them, wincing at both the movement and the way his arms locked around her like a cage, holding her close to his chest.

Her back was facing the camera now, hiding most of Alex's torso from view with her own body. His dark fingers trailed slowly down her spine, tracing the strings of the corseted dress before he started to unfasten them unhurriedly, taking time to savour the moment. Renami's hands were gripping onto his broad shoulders so tightly that even from where I stood I could see practically every tendon straining through the skin.

Alex glanced up at her face, into her eyes, reading something that we couldn't see.

"Don't fight me." He cautioned. The corset strings were pulled free and tossed aside, instantly forgotten as he shed the material from her top half. The dress hung around her waist now, and we all stared at what we expected to be bare skin but instead found thick bandages encircling her entire torso, dark red seeping through the thick gauze at an alarming rate. I sucked in a rattling breath that seemed to echo around through my own ears, disbelief and horror consuming me like a tidal wave. _Her scars. They've reopened her fucking scars._

Renami tossed her head, flipping her hair back over her shoulder to cover most of her damaged back. A little too late now. We'd already seen it.

Unexpectedly, Alex released her and she stumbled back to her feet. Obviously she'd been trying to lean away from his grip. She shot him a nasty glare but said nothing as he tilted his head thoughtfully, studying her before that perverse grin reappeared across his handsome features.

"Take off the dress. Make it entertaining." He smirked widely. She physically recoiled, but held her ground.

"Go fuck yourself!" She snarled, her lips curling back from her bared teeth. A deep chuckle came from off-camera and both Alex's and Renami's heads turned towards the sound.

"Strip down, babe." Scott purred mockingly. "Show us all that pretty skin."

A sickening thud and a loud cry followed his words and Renami grimaced, flinching violently, turning her head back to avoid looking at the man and his captive. With shaking hands she slid the dress down her slim hips quickly, letting the silk pool onto the carpet and stepping out of it before she could have any rebellious second thoughts. She didn't _'make it entertaining'_ as he'd told her to, but her nakedness had the desired effect and Alex leaned forwards, licking his lips as he eyed her body up and down. He raised an eyebrow at her bandages, but soon realised that she had no intention of removing them. He didn't comment on it, instead beckoning her back towards him.

"Good girl. My beautiful, beautiful little Kitten."

Unwillingly, she forced her feet to move her closer, just within arm's length of him. Reaching out, he took hold of her wrists and pulled her the rest of the way, guiding her down onto the bedsheets beside him. Her angelic face was a mask of complete nothingness, the only emotion given away the immeasurable amounts of shame and resigned acceptance in her narrowed amethyst eyes.

Alex smiled down at her, transferring both her wrists into one hand so the other was free to brush back a stray strand of lavender from her bruised features.

"I love you, Renami." He murmured, the insanity in his voice completely replaced with genuine sincerity that shocked me to the core. He bent his head to deliver a chaste fleeting kiss to her soft pink lips, distracting her from what his other hand was doing. But not distracting me. That hand travelled down her body painfully slowly, trailing over bandaged-covered breasts and stomach too lightly for her to feel it. Then his fingers slipped between her thighs.

Renami hissed like a vicious alley cat, her body almost folding in on itself as she surged up in an attempt to somehow escape his probing fingers, but he just pressed her hands more firmly against the pillow as he worked the slender digits inside her, giving her absolutely no way to escape. She started panting and gasping, writhing and bucking to dislodge him. It didn't work. If anything, it made him even more determined to keep going.

I tore my gaze from the screen, glaring through blurry eyes to my left, seeing nothing but a red haze. _Bastard. Fucking bastard. How dare he touch her like that. How dare he touch what didn't belong to him…_ The noises were changing now. There was only so much of the pleasurable physical assault on her body she could take, and she was trying her damn hardest to bite back the moans that were being torn from her throat, but she couldn't completely silence them. They escaped through her gritted teeth and Alex gave a breathy laugh in response. Fury was boiling my blood in my veins. I couldn't watch any more.

Suddenly, the sounds stopped, and Renami gave a small sigh of relief that was only just loud enough to be picked up on film. Curious, I glanced back at the TV just in time to see Alex kneel up on the mattress, removing both hands from the purple-haired teenager. Renami's face was flushed pink with unwanted arousal and she squeezed her bare legs tightly shut to prevent him from violating her in the same way for a second time. Unperturbed, his hands strayed to his waistband and he removed his belt, unzipping and freeing himself from the constricting material without completely taking his jeans off. He held himself on all fours above her, licking his fingers as she stared disgustedly back up into his dark green orbs, silently hating him.

"I love you." He whispered again. "Do you love me?"

"No." She snarled, her voice hoarse but still thick with loathing and venom. Alex nodded sadly, his long ebony hair falling over his shoulders and bare back.

"I know. That's ok. You'll remember soon enough, and then you'll love me again."

Renami opened her mouth to retort to that, but whatever she'd intended to say died in her throat and came out instead as a screech of pain and shock as Alex thrust deep and buried himself straight to the hilt. He gave a low pleasured groan that was not unfamiliar from the one that had left my own lips when I'd taken her for the first time more than a week ago. I hadn't forgotten any of the feeling of being inside her, and seeing this… _obscenity_… happening right in front me… I wanted to kill him. _I'm going to kill him. I __**will**__ kill him!_

He gave her a few moments to adjust to his size, kissing away the tears that had suddenly and unwillingly escaped from her twin depths of never-ending amethyst, then he set off into a gentle, sensual pace, rolling his hips into hers, angling differently with each experimental movement before he soon found that spot that made her cry out in humiliated pleasure.

Her shameful moans made him speed up his thrusts, pounding into her, dragging her kicking and screaming up with him to the edge. Tears were still flowing down her cheeks, thick and fast trails that glittered in the light. She'd shut her eyes as tight as she could, not wanting to look up at her rapist.

"Look at me." He grunted between panting breaths, his rhythm becoming more erratic the closer he got to climax. Renami shook her head once, refusing to open her eyes. He released his grip on her wrists to instead plant his hands firmly into the pillow either side of her head, bracing himself. Now freed, Renami's arms flew down from above her head and immediately grabbed handfuls of the silky bedsheets, twisting and writhing beneath him as a familiar sinful ecstasy sent tremors racing through her body.

It didn't take long. Alex howled Renami's name like a werewolf baying to the moon, his head thrown back and his body arcing as he came, and she followed almost immediately after, a strangled cry forcing itself from her throat and she nearly bit straight through her lip to stop it. Blood oozed and dripped lazily down her chin, the deep crimson a stark contrast to her paler than usual skin as she lay as still as a corpse under the dark-skinned man who was panting harshly to get his breath back.

Alex lifted his head, his ebony bangs plastered to his forehead with sweat, an unreadable look on his face as he stared down at her. Her eyelids opened at last and she gazed blankly back up at him, her eyes as devoid of emotion as his features.

"I love you." He told her once more. She blinked slowly, not making a move to wipe the blood from her chin. "I'm sorry it had to happen like this, but it was necessary, Kitten. I love you. Truly, I do."

Her eyes sparked back to life with pure undiluted hatred that made him physically flinch.

"I… _hate_… you." She murmured, her voice shaky and strained. Alex's body went completely rigid for a split second before he was suddenly on his feet again, zipping up his jeans and walking away from the bed, heading for the corner where Scott and Maxie still stood. His head was bowed and he stared at his feet, not once glancing back at the spread-eagled form laid unmoving on his bed. I could've sworn I saw a single tear snake down the brown flesh of his cheek.

Without a word, Scott and Maxie stepped into view of the camera, the taller dragging the limping teenager. Scott was grinning so widely that it looked like his head was about to split in two and Maxie was sobbing aloud, one hand covering a rapidly swelling fresh bruise on his cheek that hadn't been there before.

"Remember your promise, Sugar." Scott reminded Alex eagerly, practically shoving Maxie into the other green-eyed man's arms. The boy let himself be pushed, never taking his eyes from Renami, stretching out one hand as though he could reach her from where he stood.

Alex flinched again as he caught Scott's pet, his dark eyes flashing with horror at something he'd evidently previously forgotten. He hesitated for a good few moments, glancing back at the bed before he reluctantly nodded once, the expression on his face one of a broken man.

Scott clapped his hands together gleefully, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.

"Oh, this is absolutely _perfect!_ I'm so glad you're a man of your word, Alex." He smirked, not even looking at the taller green-eyed man, his gaze fixed almost unblinkingly on the bed and its occupant.

"No!" Maxie suddenly snarled, lurching forwards and lashing out at Scott with his skinny fists. Scott caught him easily, and quelled his brief rebellion just as easily with a swift knee to the stomach.

"Yeah, like _you'd_ be able to stop me." Scott sneered at his pet who now clutched his stomach and gasped wretchedly in pain, only still standing upright because Alex was hold him up. Scott glanced up at Alex, his emerald eyes glinting maliciously.

"Go." He told him. Alex's brow furrowed into a frown for a second, then his face relaxed and he quickly left the room, yanking the weeping Maxie after him and slamming the door shut behind them. The loud sound echoed around the room and through the speakers, chilling me to the bone. _This is not good. This is very bad. Very, very bad._

Renami sluggishly raised her head and watched with growing apprehension as Scott sauntered casually over to her, flicking his brown bangs back out of his eyes.

"What're… you doing?" She croaked, her tongue nervously darting out to moisten her dry, bloodied lips. Scott chuckled, cracking his knuckles almost nonchalantly, and she winced at the popping of cartilage.

"Don't play coy with me, pretty one, you know exactly what I'm doing. I'm fulfilling a promise you made me. Maybe you need a little reminding, hm?"

A sharp intake of breath came from my right and I glanced sharply in that direction. I wasn't the only one. Yugi Mutou was sat on the sofa with his back impossibly straight, his purple eyes wide and staring, tear tracks drying down the length of his pale cheeks. His hand was slapped to his mouth, and he was trembling so much that the entire couch was shaking.

"Oh no… He means… I know what promise he's talking about… back at the Game Shop…" His next hushed words were identical to the ones that issued from the DVD at precisely the same time in Scott's mocking tone. "'_Don't__ hurt them, Scott. If you want to hurt anyone, then hurt me. Whatever you want to do to them, do it to me instead. Rape me, torture me, kill me, I don't care! Just leave my friends alone!_'"

A thick silence fell over all of us, and it looked like Yugi was about to say something more but a piercing shriek of pain cut across him and seared through the hush like a heated blade. My head snapped back to the screen so hard and fast that the muscles of my neck strained sharply from the movement. Scott had seized a handful of Renami's hair and dragged her up off the bed towards him, his other hand landing on her previously dislocated shoulder and twisting the joint cruelly.

"Alex might be trying to act all puppies and rainbows around you, but I, on the other hand, am a bad man, pretty one, and I'm not denying any of it, so forgive me if I don't go as gently as he did." He sneered, his face inches away from hers. She stared up at him in wide-eyed fear, tears of pain still snaking down her caramel skin marred with bruises. He grinned nastily, his teeth bared in vindictive excitement. "Brace yourself, babe, this is gonna hurt."

At the first ear-splitting shriek of absolute agony, I tore my gaze from the TV, squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as I could. None of the others could bear to watch it either, closing or covering their own eyes, gripping onto each other for dear life, sobbing and whimpering, swearing and retching, close to throwing up from the sheer viciousness of it. I grabbed hold of my stomach as it lurched, clamping my lips shut and swallowing the bile that had risen in my throat.

As degrading as the first rape had been, it was absolutely nothing compared to this one. Scott was brutal and ruthless, ripping her apart from the inside out, clawing at her flesh and beating her as he had his way with her, howling with laughter as she screamed over and over again for mercy.

"Turn it off, oh Ra, _turn it off!_" Bakura hissed.

"Mute the sound... _please_... I can't listen to this anymore..." Ryou wept, his head buried in his boyfriend's chest, while Bakura's arms cradled the younger teen close, both of them trembling.

I didn't do as they wanted. I tried to, but it was like my brain just wasn't connected to the rest of my body anymore. My fingers just wouldn't respond, no matter how much I willed them to.

Thankfully, it was all over quickly, with his jubilant cry of climax between his sadistic laughter and grunting breaths. I dared look back at the screen now. Renami fell instantly silent as he held himself over her, still chuckling to himself as he pulled himself out and refastened his jeans. There was blood... _so much blood_... His hands were red, and crimson splattered his shirt and face, and she was... God, she was even worse than before. But she was still breathing, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and that was all that mattered to me, that she was still living and that bastard hadn't murdered her.

"That was so much better than I'd expected it to be, pretty one!" Scott grinned, stroking her bruised cheekbone almost fondly. His emerald eyes suddenly brightened and he cast a triumphant look over at the corner again, as though he was staring straight into my eyes. "Oooh, I'd almost forgotten..." He took her chin in one hand and turned her head to face the camera. "Smile for the camera, Renami! How d'you think Kaiba and all your little friends enjoyed the show, hm? They're watching this right now, my pretty. You've just shown them how much of a pathetic worthless whore you really are. Why should they save someone like you? And even if by some miracle they did manage to save you, how would they be able to look you in the eye after this? Just stop resisting, Renami. There's nothing you can do. Mind, body and soul you belong to Alex now. No-one else wants you. Not even your fuck-buddy Seto Kaiba wants you. We own you."

Renami said nothing, staring deep into the camera lens. Her amethyst eyes flickered momentarily with pain and despair, then the purple depths seemed to dim as all light left them, blank emotionless orbs gazing at nothing and seeing nothing. Just like that, she was gone. Her spirit had been entirely shattered, and now she was truly broken, both physically, mentally and emotionally. The DVD froze on that image, her dead, dead eyes taunting me along with his satanic grin.

I couldn't take anymore.

My arm flexed and I roared aloud in incoherent rage, throwing the remote straight through the plasma screen, shattering it into a million pieces.

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**Ok, if you didnt like this one, then you're going to seriously hate the next one. Just a little warning... I'm expecting a lot of hate for the next chapter actually ^^;**

**Anyways, let me know what you think. I seem to be inspired lately, I might manage to update sooner for once in my life ;p**


	29. The Only Way Out

**Ok people, Im really sorry about how long this update took, I've been so busy at college lately that I've barely had time for anything :(**

**But hopefully I win brownie points for this EXTREMELY LONG chapter. I mean seriously, its like over 15,000 words O_o**

**And just a little warning people, this chapter is the absolute darkest that this story will EVER get. And I can also tell you that this is the ABSOLUTE LAST of the abuse to Renami, because everything is going to pick up from the next chapter onwards, ok? So bear with the angst and stuff for now please :)**

**Oh, and Im expecting a lot of hate for this chapter, but i wont tell you why, you'll just have to read on.**

**Please review for me, but dont be too harsh, writers have feelings too :D**

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Chapter 29:

Renami's POV:

_//Memory//_

_Hot tears streamed steadily down my cheeks, dripping down into my lap from where I sat with my back resting against the trunk of a large oak tree, my face buried into my legs as I hugged my knees tightly to my chest. I'd given up trying to hold my pathetic crying back, just letting it all go in floods. I didn't even know where I was right now. Hell, I didn't even know what time it was or even what day it was. It seemed like a lifetime since I'd started running, and now I'd stopped, I was cold, broken and alone in a park somewhere totally unfamiliar to me._

_It was quite dark out, and raining heavily. I was soaked to the bone, my clothes and hair plastered to my skin as I shivered in the drenched thin material of my jacket, trying to keep even the smallest amount of warmth I had left in my body. And I wasn't only just cold on the outside. Inside, all I could feel was ice. So cold… freezing me straight to the core, trying to overcome the horrible gut-wrenching sorrow and loss. Trying to numb myself to the pain. It was working, sort of. But slowly. Too slowly._

_I'd known something was wrong the moment I'd woken up this morning, the morning after Mom and Zahra had gone to the hospital. I'd been so tired and ill that I'd slept through the whole day, and today I'd woken feeling so much better, only to find myself completely alone in our house. I'd searched every room more than once, panicking so badly that I'd almost started hyperventilating. They weren't there. They never came home yesterday. _

_I'd tried to calm down, not daring to let myself think the worst… and then the worst came like a punch to the face when the doorbell rang, and I opened the door to find two police officers on the doorstep, their faces set in the exact same expression of solemn sympathy. I knew then, before they even had chance to open their mouths._

"_Is this the Safiya residence?" The policeman asked me, his blue eyes as kind as his voice as he removed his officer's cap respectfully from his blond head. He was quite a bit taller than me so I had to tilt my head back slightly to stare up at him with hard eyes. I had to keep a hold of myself. I had to stay in control. I'd be damned if I'd let them see the panic-stricken emotional wreck I really was beneath the shield._

"_Yes, it is. What's happened to my mom and my sister?"_

_The policeman exchanged a glance with his partner, a gentle-looking woman with big hazel eyes and close-cropped dark hair. She peered over the top of my head, trying to see into the house behind me. I knew she didn't mean it to be impudent or nosy, but still I barely managed to resist the urge to hold the door shut a few inches further, just to block her view of the hallway._

"_Is your father home, honey?" She inquired softly. I scowled before I could stop myself, a surge of irritation rearing up inside me like a snake. My father? My fucking father? Speaking of snakes, he's the Goddamn human equivalent. As far as I'm concerned, he's nothing to do with any of us. He ceased to exist for me the day he cheated on my mother with another woman, and decided to walk out on us to spend the rest of his life with his mistress and the bastard child she was pregnant with. And they can damn well keep him. Good riddance to such a pathetic waste of space._

"_My father hasn't been home for about eight years. Mom and Zahra are my only family." I replied, a little more fiercely than I'd intended to. Neither had I intended to snarl the word 'father', but I just couldn't hold back the burning hatred from my voice. They glanced at each other again, this time obviously uncomfortable with what I'd just told them. The man stepped back, allowing the woman to move past him and bend down slightly until she was at eyelevel with me._

"_I'm so sorry, honey, but we have some bad news. May we come inside?"_

"_No, I don't want anything sugar-coating, officers. You can tell me right here." I told her. I probably sounded like the bitchiest brattiest child in the world at that moment, but I didn't care. My thoughts were a blur, my imagination racing ahead of me. It took so much mental effort to keep my mind as clear as I could as I struggled to concentrate on what the police officers were about to tell me. As if I hadn't already guessed from the sombre pitying looks on their faces._

"_Maybe it would be best if we –"_

"_What's happened to them?" I interrupted, growing more and more hysterical with every word that left my lips, my shield cracking like cheap glass. The policewoman sighed reluctantly and looked briefly back over her shoulder at her partner once more before she returned her gaze to mine. _

'_Stop doing that!' I thought angrily, silently hating them both, just because I had so much fear and fury and nothing to focus it on but them. 'For God's sake, stop doing that!'_

"_There was an accident at around four o'clock yesterday afternoon. Your mother and sister were on their way home from your sister's appointment at the hospital when an unknown driver ran them off the road. The car…" She stuttered slightly, tearing her hazel eyes away from me and looking down, unable to continue, her courage failing her. She was used to informing adults of the 'bad news', not staring into the eyes of a fourteen-year-old girl as she told her… something that would change her life forever in the worst way possible. Blinking tears back from my eyes, I lifted my chin to the policeman behind her, willing him to continue in his partner's place._

"_The car crashed into a ditch and caught fire immediately. They didn't have time to make it out." He said as matter-of-factly as he could, but the discomfort and immeasurable pity in his eyes gave away his true feelings._

_White noise filled my ears, drowning out everything else. The car caught fire immediately. They didn't have time to make it out… They didn't have time to make it out… No… this can't be happening… there must be some kind of mistake… oh God… __**No!**_

_"Honey, do you need to sit down?" The woman's voice cut through my head like a heated knife. It actually physically felt like it too, making me want to grab my head in my hands and scream until my throat was raw. By some miracle, I managed to force myself to talk, the words hitching in my throat._

"_Who… who did it? Who… made them… c-crash…?"_

"_We don't know, but we will find out."_

"_D-do I need to… i-identify them?"_

"_No, honey. They've already been identified by their dental records."_

_My stomach lurched and I had to slap my hand to my mouth to stop myself from being sick. Their dental records… that meant that their bodies were too badly damaged to be identified any other way… Images crowded my head, horrible visions of charred corpses, twisted unnaturally beyond recognition. __**No!**__ No, no, no! I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here right __**NOW!**_

_With a cry of pure anguish, I darted around the police officers and started to sprint as fast as I could away from them, away from my home, away from every single one of those vile horrifying thoughts circling around inside my mind._

_Shouts came from behind me, and heavy footfalls as they gave chase, but I was too far ahead and picking up speed, adrenaline pulsing through my veins and limbs, fuelling my escape. I didn't look back, not once. Blinded by tears, I couldn't even see where I was going, but I wouldn't let anything stop me now. I'd only stopped running when I'd used up absolutely all of my energy and adrenaline, collapsing beneath this oak tree in this park, so far from home. I haven't moved from here since, and I must've been here for a good couple of hours, crying into my knees. No one's bothered me. It's a good thing tears don't show in the rain._

_I scraped at the skin of my arms with my fingernails without realising what I was doing, the icy cold droplets of rain soothing the pink lines in my flesh the second I unknowingly made them. I shivered violently, sniffling from both the cold and grief. Maybe I'll catch pneumonia or something while I'm out here. I hope so. Anything would be better than what I'm feeling right now. Even… well, just anything._

"_Hey, are you alright?" A baritone voice suddenly spoke up from out of nowhere and I jumped in surprise, my head snapping up from my knees to stare wide-eyed and fearfully up at the stranger standing in front of me. A man, (as the voice had sort of given away), tall and well-built, wearing jeans and a waterproof coat with the hood pulled up over his head, protecting his face from the vicious bite of the freezing rain._

_I blinked, raindrops clinging to my eyelashes as I brushed my sopping tresses of pale lavender back from my face. I'd been so wrapped up in crying that I hadn't even heard him approach. If he hadn't said anything, he would've been close enough to just reach out and touch me, and I wouldn't have realised until it was too late. That might not have been very good news for me if this stranger turned out to be a mass-murdering psychopath, or a serial rapist. Ever the optimistic outlook._

"_Yes… Yes, I'm fine." I lied automatically, shifting warily where I sat. I could only just make out the shape of his face in the darkness of the night, but nothing else. I couldn't even see his eyes. He tilted his head as he took in the sight before him: a purple-haired teenage girl absolutely soaking wet through, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. I bet I looked every bit as pathetic as I felt._

"_Well, forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you're anything but 'fine' right now." He answered, his voice like chocolate, rich and deep, soothing me. A flicker of warmth spread through my chest and I instantly beat it back down. Because warmth made me feel, and all I'd feel right now would be a tsunami of mental and emotional agony that I never wanted to feel ever again as long as I lived._

"_I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me." I told him, wanting nothing more than for him to just leave me alone. He didn't make a move to walk away. Instead, he sighed and dropped himself heavily down onto the grass beside me, leaning back against his half of the thick tree trunk. Instinctively I flinched, the mass-murdering serial rapist idea still very much a possibility in my head, and he hurriedly brought his hands up in surrender, noting my discomfort and scooting back a bit to put a couple of inches of distance between us._

"_It's ok! I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."_

_And strangely, I realised that I actually believed him._

"_Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, getting straight to the point. No awkward silences, no taking the roundabout way, just direct with me. Right then, I liked that. It was what I needed. No sugar-coating, like those officers had tried to do._

"_No." I replied. My uneasiness was ebbing a little, but still not enough to let him off the hook that easily. "I don't know you. I shouldn't talk to strangers."_

_He laughed out loud at that, and I caught a glimpse of pearly white teeth reflecting the moonlight as he grinned widely from inside his hood._

"_Did your mother tell you that?" He chuckled softly. The words hadn't even finished leaving his lips as that horrible empty emotion swelled inside me and my eyes prickled again with fresh tears that I quickly tried to hide. I wasn't quick enough. The stranger stopped laughing abruptly._

"_Crap, I'm sorry." He apologised, wincing at his own mistake. I swallowed a few times, silently willing my eyes to stop swimming. Shut up, Renami. Get a Goddamn grip on yourself. C'mon, big girls don't cry. Mom and Zahra wouldn't want to see you like this, would they?_

_No. They won't ever see me like this. Because they're dead._

"_It's ok, I'm fine."_

"_Bullshit." He said, though he said it gently rather than nastily. "Don't think you can lie to me when I just saw that reaction. Did… something happen to your mom?"_

"_It was a… a car crash. She and my sister, they didn't…"_

_I was trembling, only this time it had nothing to do with the temperature. Suddenly, wet material rubbed against my already soaked clothes and I realised that the stranger had put his arm around me, holding me as I shook. I flinched again, the warmth of his body radiating from our proximity, his breath ghosting across my face, heating my frozen cheeks._

"_Hey, shh, shh, shh. I told you I won't hurt you. You're cold and you're crying, I'm only sharing my body heat and comfort." He reassured me, his free hand reaching up to push the hood back from his head. The first things I saw were his eyes. Green, so dark green they were almost black, never-ending and deep with honesty and not even the slightest hint of anything sinister. He was very handsome, with skin the colour of milk chocolate and silky ebony hair that was even longer than mine, stray bangs framing his face and cascading down to his waist. He smiled at me warmly, flashing me those pearly teeth again. My lips twitched, and I found myself smiling back, if a little tearfully. I wasn't wary of him now. That moment had been and gone a while ago. I felt like I'd known him all my life._

"_Thank you." I mumbled through chattering teeth, pulling my sodden jacket tighter around myself. He shifted a little, moving into a more comfortable position. I found myself gradually relaxing more and more against him, burrowing closer to get more of his delicious warmth._

"_No problem." He replied. I glanced up at him shyly from beneath my eyelashes to find him staring down at me fondly, that gentle easy smile still curving his soft-looking lips. That spark of warmth blossomed again in my chest, and this time I only half-heartedly tried to restrain it. The truth was, I didn't want to restrain it. I've never felt like this before._

"_Why…" I began, licking my lips nervously, tasting rain and tears. "Why are you doing this?"_

_One ebony eyebrow arched and he chuckled again, the sound rumbling deep in his muscular chest and vibrating through my own slender body._

_"Hey, relax, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to hurt you?" He frowned slightly, as though he was offended that I didn't believe him. Only I did believe him. I didn't feel as though my life was in danger around him. I felt… safe, in a way, I suppose. And I needed that too. I needed someone to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright. To keep me warm and protected from the rest of the world. To love me._

"_No, I know you won't hurt me, I just want to know… Why are you here now? Why are you helping me? Why do you even care?"_

_His expression sobered and he gazed at me with absolute sincerity in his mysterious dark green eyes. It was utterly captivating, and I couldn't look away._

"_Why shouldn't I care?"_

"_I don't know you. You don't know me. You've no reason to give a damn about me."_

"_Yeah, well." He murmured, moving his eyes from mine down to the slick grass at his feet, his free hand brushing his long hair back out of his eyes. The sleek black locks were now as drenched as my lavender ones, clinging to his head and shoulders, shining wetly in the pale moonlight. Droplets of water peppered his face, dripping down his cheeks and over his lips. "I had a sister once. And I'd like to think that someone would help her out if they ever found her the way I found you. I might not know you, but would you rather have been cornered here by some paedophile or rapist? I don't think so. Like it or not, you're stuck with me, kid."_

"_I'm not a kid, I'm fourteen!" I protested indignantly, (internally wincing at the rapist bit, since that's exactly what I'd first thought he might've been), only just managing to stop myself from pouting. Fourteen today, actually. His smile returned, spreading slowly across his handsome face._

"_Yeah, and I'm eighteen. That makes you a kid in my eyes, kid."_

_Annoyed, I turned my head away from him, making a strange hissing catlike sound of irritation. To be honest, I didn't even know I could make that noise, never mind where the Hell it'd come from, but it succeeded in making my Good Samaritan stranger burst out laughing once more, his rich baritone echoing through the otherwise silent night air._

"_What kind of noise was that supposed to be?" He snorted loudly in amusement, "You sounded like a cat! Like a pissed off little kitten! Hahaha! Oh, that was priceless!"_

"_That's it, laugh it up." I muttered sourly, rolling my eyes at him even though I couldn't prevent the rush of pink that suddenly dusted my cheeks in embarrassment. He sniggered to himself under his breath for a few moments more, nudging me in the side playfully when he'd finally finished laughing at me._

"_Don't you get moody with me, girlie." He grinned widely. That grin was just too bright and infectious for me to resist, and once again I was grinning straight back at him._

"_My name's Alex, by the way. Alex Valen." He said as he extended his free hand to me, a good-humoured twinkle in his amazing eyes. I took his warm hand in my cold one and shook it firmly, putting as much gratitude into the handshake as I possibly could._

"_I'm Renami. Renami Safiya."_

_Alex Valen smiled tenderly at me, his gaze softening even more than before._

"_That's a pretty name." He told me softly. "It suits you."_

_I felt my cheeks flood with colour again, and I returned his own affectionate smile, thinking exactly the same thing about him. Then the moment was broken as Alex shivered and pulled my hand closer to him so he could rub it between both of his larger palms, warming my icy fingers._

"_God, your hands are freezing, Miss Safiya. How long have you been sat out here in the rain for, anyway?"_

"_I… don't know. A while, I guess."_

_He sighed in exasperation at my vague answer, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, sending stray droplets of water flying for freedom from the ends of his ebony hair._

"_Come on then, let's get you back home before you start sneezing all over the place." He said, making to stand up. Suddenly, I panicked and quickly grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him back down onto his knees and staring at him with wide desperate eyes. His brow furrowed together in confusion as he stared back at me, no doubt wondering which lunatic asylum I'd just escaped from._

"_No… please, I can't go back there. Not now. I… I'm alone now, I've got nobody left to turn to… I don't have a home any more. That's why I'm here now. I can't go back there. It hurts too much… I just can't…" That all came out as just a string of babbled pleading words that barely made sense even to me, but he nodded slowly in understanding and settled himself back down beside me. A companionable silence fell over us both as we cast our gazes absently out across the park, watching the reflection of the full moon flicker and dance in the water of the small lake not far from where we were sat. It was still raining quite heavily, but I couldn't feel the coldness of it as much as I could before. I had my own personal human radiator named Alex next to me to keep me warm now._

"_It's the same for me, y'know." My radiator suddenly spoke. I twisted my head to blink questioningly at him, but he wasn't looking at me, his dark eyes solely focused on the equally dark shimmering water in front of us. "I lost my family too, a good few years ago. It still… hurts, even now, after so long. I'm the only one left."_

"_What happened?" I asked softly. I didn't want to seem nosy, but I couldn't help myself. I was curious. Alex's face tightened and a muscle twitched in his jaw, his eyes bright with a barely-restrained emotion that I didn't recognise._

"_Arson." He muttered. Immediately, I wished I hadn't asked. That was a little too close to how Mom and Zahra died for my liking. I shuddered and huddled a bit closer to him._

"_I'm so sorry."_

"_Yeah, me too." Alex sighed, almost to himself rather than to me. He sat in brooding silence for about a minute before he sighed again, deeper this time, running his hand back through his sopping locks once more and brought his eyes back to meet mine, his smile growing slowly wider._

"_Looks like you and me are gonna have to stick together, eh, Kitten?" He chuckled, his eyes glittering with mirth. My brows furrowed into a fierce frown. Kitten? What the Hell, Kitten?! Since when did I become a fucking Kitten?! I'm not exactly the 'Kitten' type, put it that way. I'm more like a ferocious alley cat. Well, when I'm as I normally am, and not when I'm... like I am right now._

"_What's wrong, don't you like that for a nickname?" Alex smirked mischievously. I shot him my best death glare, but we both knew I didn't mean it._

"_No, I don't."_

"_Why not? I think it's kinda cute."_

"_I don't do cute."_

"_Too bad, Kitten. You'll just have to get used to it."_

"_And that's never gonna happen, Valen, so don't hold your breath." I retorted impishly, flipping him the finger with a devious grin of my own. There was a split second of silence were he just gaped at me in shock and disbelief before he threw his head back and laughed delightedly. I giggled along with him, unable to stop my eyes from trailing up the column of his bared throat, and his Adam's apple that bobbed in time with his laughter._

"_Bloody Hell, I wasn't expecting that!" He chuckled, bringing his head back level to look me full on in the face. "All sweet and innocent on the outside, but a feisty sarcastic little minx on the inside! I don't reckon much to your sign language though, that's no way for a lady to behave."_

_I smiled at him, wriggling slightly in the wet grass as I reached down and tugged at the hem of my skirt to cover a little more of my legs, which I'd only just noticed had ridden up a few inches from when I'd moved from my previous sitting position not long ago. Displaying a bit more thigh than I was completely comfortable with? Um, not a chance. I'm no slut, and I definitely didn't want to give Alex that wrong impression of me. Thanks, but no thanks._

"_I couldn't be any further from a lady if I tried." I told him._

"_Unless you were a man in drag." He pointed out with a grin that could've shamed the Cheshire Cat._

"… _Well, there's that, I suppose." Touché, Mr Alex Valen. Looks like I'm not the only one with quick wit and a smart mouth around here._

_He was about to say something else when thunder suddenly roared above us, and a blinding flash of lightning streaked through the sky, bathing the park in light that lasted literally a second. We both practically jumped out of our skins, clutching onto each other in surprise, then chuckled nervously when we realised what we'd done and let go. Not that I really wanted to let go after I'd just clutched onto an arm of solid rock hard muscle, but oh well._

_"Not a good plan, sitting under a tree during a lightning storm." Alex said, climbing swiftly to his feet. As soon as he straightened up, he turned and offered his hand down to me, which I took without hesitation, letting him help pull me up from the ground. "Come on, my apartment isn't that far from here. Twenty minutes, tops. Providing we don't get struck by lightning on our way there, of course."_

_Now I hesitated, my earlier worries coming back full force. Going to the apartment of a guy I'd only known for less than half an hour? Yeah, not a good idea, as far as good ideas go. You hear about things like this all the time on TV, young girls being tricked into going home with older boys just looking for something to screw. For all I knew, Alex could've just been playing on my vulnerability with his Mr Nice Guy act. But I didn't believe that. Or rather, I didn't **want** to believe that._

_But on the other hand, I desperately wanted to go with him. He made me feel so warm within, so much better than the previous horrible icy numbness that had been slowly killing me from the inside out. Alex was such a welcome distraction from Mom and Zahra, pushing them to the back of my mind and spreading to fill the rest of the space. I hadn't forgotten them. I just couldn't bear to think about them right now. And Alex had helped me stop thinking just by being here. I needed him._

_"Let's go." I said, my mind made up. We smiled briefly at each other before taking off full-pelt across the park, holding hands from where he'd helped me up and neither one of us had let go. We vaulted the small fence and ran across the road, laughing as we tried to shield our heads from the rain with our free arms, ducking and weaving down God knows how many back alley shortcuts on our way._

_"Where are we, anyway?" I asked, it suddenly occurring to me that I had absolutely no idea what this place was and how far I'd ran since this morning._

_"This is Domino City, babe. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."_

_Domino City? Nope, never heard of this place before. Perfect for making a new start._

_"And what if you can't make it here?"_

_"Then you're screwed, aren't you?" Alex chuckled. I didn't join in with him this time, suddenly worried. How exactly was I going to 'make it here'? I'm only fourteen years old, for God's sake! I'm completely out of my depth here. I might as well just go back home. Although I'm not sure just how long it'll stay being 'home' when the authorities come to repossess it and shove me in an orphanage until I'm sixteen. I don't want to be there when they take all our things away. I don't want to go to an orphanage. I don't want to be an orphan at all! If only I could just go back in time and…_

_"Hey," Alex's voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing me abruptly back to earth. I blinked to find we'd stopped running, and he was standing directly in front of me, gazing into my eyes with a gentle expression on his handsome face. His hand reached out and cupped my chin tenderly, stroking the cold wet flesh of my cheek comfortingly with the pads of his equally wet fingers. This time I didn't flinch at his touch. Of course I didn't. I trusted him now. He's all I had._

_"Don't worry, everything's going to be ok." He assured me, "It's going to take time, but eventually it will get better. I promise it will."_

_"You don't know that." I mumbled dejectedly, closing my eyes tightly shut to stop those pathetic tears from welling up for the millionth time. I heard him sigh lightly before startling me by pulling me towards him and wrapping his arms around me, enveloping me in a hug that warmed me from my head to my toes, my eyes snapping open to gawp at the alley wall over his shoulder in total disbelief. He smelt absolutely wonderful, his exotic musky male scent caressing my nose as he held me tight to his chest._

_"I don't need to know that, because I'm going to make it so." Alex said, his breath brushing against my skin and through my long pale lavender tresses at his side._

_"How?"_

_"Come live with me. I'll always be here, Renami. I'll look after you and keep you safe. I swear I'll never let anything or anyone harm you. I will **never** hurt you."_

_He pulled away slightly, leaning back so he could speak to me face-to-face. He was being completely serious; I could see it in the endless depths of his dark green eyes._

_"You… really mean that?" I whispered, hardly daring to believe it._

_"Of course I do. There's something special about you, Renami Safiya, and I'll never forgive myself if I just let you walk out of my life before I even have the chance to figure out what that special something is." Alex smiled sincerely at me. And with that smile, it took me less than a few seconds to decide._

_"Then it looks like you're stuck with me, pal." I grinned. Alex let out a joyful cheer, grabbed me by the waist and actually lifted me up and spun me around in the air, my feet dangling a good metre off the ground. I screamed in an embarrassingly girlish way in surprise and clung onto him for dear life, which just made him laugh harder before he finally set me back down and caught me by the elbow as I staggered, dizzy._

_"C'mon, Kitten." Alex smiled, taking my hand again, "Let's get outta here."_

_And so began my life with Alex. Was it wrong for me to have trusted him so easily? Probably. But at the time, I didn't care. At that moment, I truly believed everything he'd said to me. I truly believed that he'd protect me from the world and keep me safe in his arms for the rest of our years together._

_I believed him when he said he'd never hurt me._

_God, how wrong I was._

_

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_

Maxie's POV:

Here we were again, Renami sitting in front of me with her dress draped around her waist, and me behind her, stitching shut those horrible scars that marred the tanned skin of her bare back for the second time in two days. I doubt they'd ever properly heal, considering how many times they've been ripped open over the past week. In a place like this, wounds rarely heal. They aren't given enough time to. Especially not when that bastard I'm forced to call my master is involved.

I finished neatly sewing up one of her many gashes and pulled the knot tight before I leant in to bite through the end of the thin thread. Scissors would've been more practical, but there's no chance of me getting my hands on anything like that, not unless I tempted fate to its limits by stealing one of Scott's knives or something, but that wasn't about to happen. If he caught me, he'd punish me in ways that would make Satan himself cringe. And I'm not even exaggerating that. I've seen what he can do, and better yet, I've experienced what he can do. If you think what he did to Renami last night was bad enough, it's absolutely nothing compared to what he'd originally planned for her, if Alex had let him. I know, because he told me everything. He told me too much. So much more than I ever wanted to hear.

A bowl filled with antiseptic water was sat on the carpet beside me, and I reached down without taking my eyes off my progress, picking up the damp bloodied cloth from inside it and wringing it out before dabbing at her damaged flesh. I half-expected her to react to the sting of it, but she didn't so much as twitch. She hadn't moved an inch in the whole time I'd started tending to her injuries, just stayed cross-legged with her hands clasped together in her lap, her head bowed so her hair fell to hide most of her bruised face behind curtains of pale lavender as she stared down at the carpet through blank eyes that had once sparkled with so much life… But not any more. Now they were cold and empty, completely devoid of all emotion. Those eyes shouldn't belong to Renami; they should belong to a corpse.

"Renami?" I murmured softly, tentatively, pausing in my sluicing of her back to check if she'd even registered that I was talking to her. She didn't respond. I sighed sadly, placing the cloth back in the bowl and taking up my needle and thread again. I wanted to jab the tiny needle into her flesh a bit harder than was necessary as I started with the next reopened scar to be stitched, just so she'd flinch or hiss at me, just to prove to myself that the real Renami Safiya was still somewhere inside this empty shell of a body. But I didn't. I couldn't. She'd already been hurt enough.

"Renami, please… Talk to me." I tried again desperately. Her fingers twitched slightly from where they rested on her thighs, but that was it. Helpless frustrated tears started to fill my eyes and I blinked them back hard, refusing to let myself cry. I couldn't afford any weakness now. Not now, not ever. Not any more.

The next twenty or so minutes passed in complete silence, the only sounds coming from the water in the bowl whenever I wrung the cloth out, until finally I bent forwards and bit through the very last thread and moved back to inspect my handiwork. To be honest, her back was a complete mess. All sewn together like the Bride of Frankenstein, the black thread ugly and harsh against her skin and scars, making it look even worse than it was, and trust me, it looked bad enough already. But it was the best I could do with such limited medical resources, so hopefully it'd do the job well enough. She'd need to go back to hospital for them properly seeing to, but after what happened the last time they had to take her there, I doubt that'd be happening again anytime soon.

God, he'd beaten her so bad when they came back after that, the day before yesterday. I'd never seen Alex so angry, but then he'd been fucking livid. And then to rape her the day after, and then let Scott have his fun with her too and do all this to her… In my four months in this living Hell, me and Alex have become friends. He'd told me so much about her, confided in me about all the wrong choices he'd ever made, all the times he'd hurt her and how painful his guilt had been afterwards. Fool that I was, I'd listened and believed him. Worse, I'd felt sympathy for him, and that'd deluded me. Thinking about it now, maybe it was all just empty words… he couldn't have meant it all after what he's put her through over these last ten days, and three years before that too.

"_If he loved me, he would've given up on me years ago. If he loved me, he wouldn't do this to me. Look at me, Maxie. Do I really look like I'm __loved__ by him? You should __never__ hurt the one you love."_

She'd said that to me a couple of days ago. I didn't understand at first, blinded by only his side of things, but now I knew better. Renami was right. And Alex himself was the one who'd proven her right. That abusive bastard doesn't love her! He doesn't know the _meaning_ of the fucking word! Why has it taken me so long to realise this?!

Far away in my thoughts, I absently reached out and traced over the puckered stitched skin of the longest scar, one that ran down the middle of her shoulder blades and ended at the very base of her spine. Unexpectedly, a shudder wracked through her entire body, so small that it was barely there at all, but I felt it beneath my fingertips and hurriedly pulled my hand back, worried that my touching her was causing her pain. It was then that I noticed a couple of scars along her left shoulder blade that were different from all the others, and that made them even more horrific than the rest. My eyes skittered over them quickly, trying to pretend to myself that I hadn't seen them. I didn't want to draw any attention to them, just in case Renami actually didn't know they were there.

"I'm sorry!" I apologised hurriedly, for both touching her and… the other thing. My teeth swiftly clamping down on my bottom lip like they usually did whenever I was anxious or unsure.

She didn't acknowledge me. She didn't even blink.

I hesitated a moment, but I had no idea what I was waiting for or expecting, so instead I tore my gaze from her battered form and glanced briefly down at the floor around me for a roll of bandages I'd left lying around somewhere. It didn't take me long to find and unravel it, and I started wrapping a long length of bandage around her torso, not feeling as embarrassed at I had the first time when I'd fumbled like a complete idiot, since I'd never seen a half-naked woman before, never mind touched one. Now I nibbled my lip in concentration as I worked, politely averting my eyes when the bandages (and my hands) reached her breasts and I tried my best to avoid accidentally brushing against them.

During all this, I couldn't help but notice for what must've been the hundredth time just how painfully skinny she was. She'd started eating again when I'd brought her some soup when I came up here this morning to tend to her wounds. Of course, I hadn't really expected her to eat any but I'd been surprised when she did, although it wasn't a good thing. Yes, her eating again was brilliant for building her strength back up, which was what she really needed right now, but it's what it actually meant that made my blood run cold. She'd given up. She'd stopped fighting them, stopped resisting completely. No more escape attempts, no more stubborn proud defiance, no more vicious scathing retorts, no more deals. Just absolute submission that I never thought would've been in her nature at all, no matter how much of a battering she took. Obviously I'd been so very wrong.

Practically every bone was only too visible beneath her flesh, and I could clearly see the cracked ribs down her side, nubs of bone jutting out and pressing against the thin layer of skin more than they normally should. There's nothing I could do about those. If they're left untreated, they might end up healing that way, then they'd stay like that for the rest of her life, however long or short that may be. Unless they get broken again, which they undoubtedly will, I'm sure.

"Oh Renami, what have they done to you?" I whispered, the question aimed more to myself than actually to her, since I knew she wouldn't answer. Not that she needed to. Everything they'd done to her was laid out before me, every cut and bruise right in front of my eyes.

Holding the end of the white gauze in my hands, I shuffled awkwardly around until I was kneeling in front of her. She didn't look up even then as I bent towards her and tied the bandages in a knot that was surprisingly secure despite how badly my hands were trembling. Renami's heart beat evenly beneath my fingers, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically as she breathed, but even that didn't convince me that she was still alive. Physically, yes, but mentally… she was far from it.

"Renami…" I tried again, shifting a little closer so my knees brushed against hers, "Renami, please… Just look at me, or say something… please, I'm begging you… Don't give up… Don't let them win…"

I paused hopefully, waiting for the reply that I desperately needed from her.

Absolute silence filled the air, so thick and heavy that it hurt to breathe, constricting my lungs. My eyes were brimming again and I blinked rapidly to clear them, but a single tear refused to be held back and seeped through my eyelashes, snaking a slick trail down the dark purple skin of my bruised cheek.

With one shaky hand, I reached out and ever so gently touched her face that was ten times more bruised than mine. I was close enough now to see every wound spoiling her beautiful features so vividly, but I purposely avoided looking at them, staring at nothing but her downcast eyes. My hand tenderly cupped her chin and lifted her head up level with mine, giving her no choice but to stare straight into my eyes with her own unnaturally vacant purple depths. Even then, she still wasn't seeing me, but I wasn't about to give up on her like she'd given up on herself.

"Look at me…" I urged pleadingly, pressing my forehead against hers, my other hand coming up to cradle the opposite side of her face. "Just… _look at me_."

For a few moments nothing changed. But then, just as I was about to give in to it all and cry my heart out, those amethyst irises flickered and the pupils widened, fully focusing on me for what must've literally been half a second before they became blank once more. But that didn't matter, because even the slightest glimmer of life was all I needed to fuel me straight back into action.

"Come on, Renami, you've got to keep fighting! You made me a promise, remember? You said you'd get us out of here whatever it took, and all it takes now is for you to be strong again! Be strong for me… I need you. I can't do this alone."

"Too… tired…" She murmured weakly, the unexpected response startling me so much that I nearly jumped out of my skin even though it'd been barely more than a whisper. "So… sorry…"

"Maxie?" A new voice said, and I sprung back from Renami as though I'd just been electrocuted, scrambling to my feet and hurriedly putting at least a metre's distance between us. My wide eyes quickly turned towards the doorway where a familiar figure now stood, blocking the dim light from the hall with his tall, well-built form.

Alex stepped forwards into the room, the morning sunshine that streamed through the barred window bathing his features so his dark skin gleamed.

"How is she?" He asked.

Those three words were the last straw for me. No sooner had they left his mouth than a tidal wave of overwhelming burning fury completely washed over me and before I knew what I was doing, I was striding towards him with murder in my hazel eyes.

"Don't you dare come any closer, you bastard!" I snarled at him, so unlike myself that I would've been scared of this uncharacteristic explosive fury if my rage and hatred for the man standing in front of me hadn't overruled my fear in a heartbeat.

Alex's dark green eyes widened with total shock but then almost as swiftly returned back to normal size in resigned acceptance. He sighed and ran a hand back through his long black hair as tried his best to avoid my gaze, staring at the wall to his left instead of looking in my direction. The pathetic lowlife coward!

"Please, don't make this any harder than it already is." He mumbled, speaking so quietly that I wouldn't have heard him if I hadn't been a couple of feet away from him. A veil of red was completely covering my vision, and my pulse pounded angrily through my head. My hands were clenched into fists so tightly that my knuckles were white and bloodless, and my fingernails were digging painfully into my palms. I can honestly say that I've never felt so angry in my entire life.

"Don't make this any harder?! It's already too late for that, look at what you've done to her!"

Alex risked the smallest glance over his shoulder at me, then at Renami who was still sat on the floor where I'd left her. He flinched violently at the sight of her, taking in all the damage he could see. But that wasn't the extent of it, and he could tell that too just by the fact that she hadn't even reacted to his presence in the room as she usually would. Any other time she'd be straight at him, hurling insults and curses and attempting to beat the living daylights out of him, even though she knew too well that she'd never be able to. Not this time, though. All she did was breathe and blink, clenching and unclenching her hands together in her lap.

He tore his gaze from her and fixed it back on the wall, the muscles in his jaw taut from how hard he'd gritted his teeth.

"I didn't do that, it was Scott who – "

"You let him do it! You're as much to blame as he is! In fact, no! This is more your fault than his! You know what he can do! You know exactly what he's capable of! You've seen what he's done to me enough times, and yet you let him hurt Renami like this! You lying piece of shit, you told me you loved her! You don't love her at all!"

"No, you're wrong, I love her so much – "

"THIS ISN'T LOVE!!" I roared at the top of my lungs so viciously that my throat felt like it'd been torn apart, my rage soaring to levels I'd never reached before. "THIS IS YOU DESTROYING THE ONLY THING THAT WAS PURE AND GOOD IN YOUR ENTIRE MISERABLE LIFE!!"

"No! That's not – "

"You still don't get it, do you?! Well, take a good look at your precious 'Kitten' now, Alex! You've killed her!"

He didn't respond, but I knew what I'd just said had somehow managed to sink into his thick skull from the way he shook his head sharply from side to side, mumbling something under his breath over and over again to himself.

"I hope you're happy." I growled, directing my hatred towards him via my fierce glare. "I hope you've got exactly what you wanted. She's all yours now. She's your damaged goods. Are you going to rape her again? Of course you are, although this time I bet it'll be like screwing a corpse, won't it? Ah, just think, you don't need to threaten her with the people she cares about anymore, not now she's finally stopped resisting you. Aren't you fucking proud?!"

I threw my icy sarcasm at him like a million daggers, wanting my words to cause him as much pain as he'd caused Renami, even though it was nothing in comparison to what he'd done.

"THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!!" Alex suddenly shouted, his body folding in on itself as though he'd just been punched in the stomach as he bent over double, clutching his head in his hands, groaning like a wounded animal.

It was at that very moment that I realised just how dangerously close to the edge this man really was and I took a harder look at him, my eyes scanning every single detail as he struggled to straighten up again. His dark skin was much paler than its usual rich hue, ashen and sickly, and his green eyes were bloodshot and ringed with deep purple rings of insomnia. His fingernails were all bitten down to the quick, and the skin of the nail beds were torn and scabbed. His black tresses were messy and unkempt, tied back from his face haphazardly, looking like he'd been tossing and turning all night, and hadn't brushed his hair when he'd woken up this morning. He'd been biting his lips like I usually did, only to a much greater extent, judging by how dry and cracked they were, crusted with small splodges of dry blood, and his clothes were crumpled and creased, hanging almost shapelessly off his body. I'd been wrong to think this wasn't affecting him. I'd been so wrong yet again. Not only had he broken Renami, but he'd also broken himself in the process.

"This…" He hissed thickly, the single word sounding like it took such an effort to leave his mouth, "Is not… what I planned. Not… what I wanted."

"What did you want?" I asked, my voice so much softer and steadier than I thought my rage would allow. Alex brought his hands back down from his face and met my gaze head on for the first time since he'd walked into the room.

"_Love._ I wanted love again. I wanted her to just remember and then we could go back to how we used to be. But _this_… this is all wrong! This is all Scott's doing, not mine!"

His dark eyes were wild and unfocused as he stared at me, wringing his hands together so harshly that it looked like he was trying to pull his fingers from their sockets. Wisely, I stayed silent, unconsciously taking a few steps back from him. It was so obvious now. Alex wasn't just caught up in the heat of the moment… he was ill. Sick… in the head. Mentally unbalanced. I'd thought he just had some anger issues that he couldn't always control, but now I truly understood. I understood everything.

"I love her! God help me, I do! I love her so much it hurts, Maxie. This is killing me too! I need her like I need the air I'm breathing, and if I can't live with her, I don't intend to live without her!"

"If you truly loved her," I said, my voice so quiet that I could barely hear it myself, "you'd let her go."

Heavy silence fell over us both, spreading to fill the entire room. I shivered, suddenly cold. There was so much tension, so much emotion, so much pain… It was overwhelming, and I couldn't bear another second of it.

"I've tried. Believe me, I've tried so damn hard, but it didn't make any difference. I can't. I just… _can't_." Alex croaked, the words catching abruptly in his throat, tears streaking down his cheeks, completely unnoticed by him. He moved closer, heading straight towards me, his expression desperate and pleading. I took another hasty step backwards, thinking he was going to grab hold of me or something, but instead he skirted around me and dropped down to his knees in front of Renami so heavily that I winced at the dull thud his kneecaps made against the floor. He was crying openly now, reaching out with both trembling hands to smooth her hair back from her face, caressing her skin so tenderly, like she was made of the most delicate crystal that he didn't dare touch too hard in case it shattered. How ironic, considering how he'd already shattered her, maybe beyond repair.

I hovered protectively behind Renami, my fists clenched, just in case I felt like I needed to step in or pull her away from him, although that didn't seem likely. Alex held her head up, gazing into those empty eyes that just stared straight through him like he wasn't even there. The expression on his face was one of pure naked agony and despair, and it physically pained me to look at him. This wasn't just black or white anymore, right or wrong, good or bad… This was grey, somewhere in between, indeterminable. I've never felt so lost and unaware in my entire life. I feel like the only sane person in this place now that Renami's been forced over the edge and Alex is on some kind of self-destructive downward spiral. Not to mention that sadist Scott. There was once a time when I used to wonder if he was messed up in the head like Alex, but I swiftly came to realise that my master wasn't mad; he was just plain _evil_.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Alex repeated over and over again, but he could keep apologising from now until the day he died and it wouldn't have changed a single thing. His hands fell from her face and gently grasped her wrists, pulling himself to his feet and taking her with him. She moved without a fuss, her body looking unnaturally limp and docile like a life-sized rag doll in his arms.

When they were fully upright, Alex brought her close to his chest, one hand flat against her back and the other cradling the back of her head, his eyes shut tight as he held onto her like a lifeline. It would've looked like a beautiful, touching scene to someone completely oblivious to everything that'd happened between these two over these past few years, but not to me. Thank God I knew better.

Suddenly there was a rush of heat pressing up against my back, and two arms snaked around my torso so fast that I didn't even have time to react before it was too late, and I was trapped against a body that I was all too familiar with thanks to how many times I've been pinned beneath it and been forced to do all sorts of vile, disgusting things to bring it's owner his sick perverse pleasure.

"Ah, it's so sweet you could vomit, hm?" He chuckled in my ear, causing icy claws of pure fear to travel up the whole length of my spine, making me shudder in his grip.

"There's nothing 'sweet' about this!" I hissed back, fighting hard to keep my voice steady. Every muscle in my body was tensed almost to snapping point, the tendons in my neck straining as I tried to move my head as far away from his as I possibly could. It didn't work. It never did. He just leaned closer and bit down hard on the exposed column of my throat, making me cry out in pain and surprise.

His tongue swiped over the teeth marks, soothing the sting of it a little.

"Oh, but it is, my dear pet." He said into my neck, now pressing soft kisses to the sensitive part just below my ear that made me cringe and squirm. Scott knew about all my sensitive parts, the bastard. "Sickly sweet. _Love_… Ha! Who gives a shit about love? I mean, think about it, it's all because of their precious 'love' that those two are here right now, and let's face it, my pet, it ain't gonna be a Happy Ending. Like Romeo and Juliet all over again! And we all know how well _that_ turned out! Though in this case, who do you think will die first? Wanna place a bet, Maxie? I'm betting that the next time I fuck Renami, she'll be _begging_ me to kill her."

"There isn't going to be a next time." I growled, my fury rising rapidly once again. Scott snorted in mocking amusement.

"Oh really, and why's that?"

"Because Alex won't let you anywhere near her. He'd tear you apart if you tried."

Scott laughed loudly, a throaty satanic sound that made my flesh crawl. Alex's head jerked up from beside Renami's and he fixed his gaze on me and my captor. He hadn't even noticed that Scott had entered the room until now. But then again, I hadn't realised myself until the green-eyed demon had grabbed hold of me. Scott had always been excellent at sneaking up on people and striking when they least expected it. That's how I'd ended up in this living Hell in the first place. One blow to the back of the head and I'd sunk like a stone, and I'd never seen or heard him coming. I bet that's how he'd gotten all his other 'pets' too.

"Ah, Maxie, your naivety is so adorable sometimes." He grinned maliciously, a glint to his emerald eyes that made a horrible feeling start to boil in the pit of my stomach, spreading throughout my body like a disease.

"What do you mean?"

"Shhh, babe." He smirked, pressing one finger against my lips to silence me. "That's for me to know, and you to never find out."

I froze so fast that I was sure my blood had actually turned to ice in my veins. The way he said that… I knew exactly what he was insinuating.

Because I won't be alive long enough to find out.

Scott cackled again, brushing his other hand over my lower stomach teasingly, knowing that it would make me yelp, but he didn't actually continue further and slide his hand down the front of my pants like he usually did. Instead, he released me, shoving me carelessly aside as he strode towards Alex and Renami with that wicked Cheshire Cat grin on his face.

"Christ, pretty one, you sure are quiet today." He said, stopping directly in front of her and bringing a hand to his chin in mock contemplation, "Hmm, what's wrong? You're not your usual feisty little self. What could've _possibly_ caused this change, I wonder? Has something happened, honey?"

The bastard couldn't keep a straight face any longer and threw his head back, laughing maniacally towards the ceiling. Alex watched him silently, his features arranged in a neutral expression, even though he couldn't hide the disgust in his dark green eyes. Renami's brow furrowed together the tiniest amount, so small it was virtually unnoticeable to everyone but me, since I had my gaze fixed so fiercely on her bruised face that my eyes stung from not blinking enough. Not from crying, for a change. I wasn't crying this time.

Scott seized hold of Renami's jaw, yanking her head up harshly to face his. Alex's fists twitched by his sides, but he made no move to stop the shorter green-eyed man.

"This is so perfect…" Scott chuckled, his full attention fixed on taunting the unresponsive purple-haired teenage girl. "If I'd known that I only had to fuck you to finally shut you up, I would've done it when I first met you in that alley with Blondie! Would've saved me a lot of time and effort. But then again, I don't suppose you would've been as much fun if I had. I'm really going to miss the fights, my pretty. Submission doesn't look half as good on you as stubborn unrelenting defiance did, but if it's any consolation, you were the best damn lay I've ever had."

He glanced up slyly over the top of her head, smirking at Alex knowingly.

"Well… _so far_, anyway." He winked. Alex looked like he wanted to be sick.

"Get away from her." I said, a surge of unexpected and unfamiliar bravery forcing me to take a few threatening steps forwards, my head held high without betraying a single trace of fear. Inside, I was so scared that my heart pounded impossibly hard against my ribcage, and my mouth felt like cotton wool, but I'd be damned before I let him see it. Been there, done that, and it's never going to happen again.

Scott turned slightly so he could see me, his emerald eyes flashing dangerously even though he kept his sick twisted grin firmly in place.

"Now, now, Maxie. Hold that talented tongue of yours before I cut it out of your pretty skull." He smiled serenely, his free hand trailing leisurely to his jeans where he traced along the slight bulge of his favourite switchblade in his pocket. Furiously beating back every logical thought that told me to run whilst I still had all my limbs intact, I didn't falter, inching close enough for him to just reach out and strangle me if he wanted to.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore, Scott." I told him, standing my ground even when he drew the knife out purposely slowly, flicking it open and twisting it languidly in his hand. My breathing got faster and shallower, my hands shaking as adrenaline soared through my veins, readying me for either fight or flight.

"Ten minutes alone with me will change your mind pretty fucking quick, don't you think?" Scott sneered, baring his teeth at me wolfishly. I didn't answer him, holding my head up defiantly, refusing to be the first to look away from his demonic bright green eyes. His knuckles tightened on the hilt of his blade.

"This bullshit's gonna get you killed, pet. Last warning."

"Go ahead! Kill me, you son of a bitch, do me a favour! I'd rather rot in Hell than spend another night being used by a sadistic psychopath like you!"

Scott's smirk completely vanished out of existence and now pure livid rage was plastered all over his handsome face. He lunged towards me without warning, his hands going straight for my throat. Instinctively, I lurched sideways out of his path, lashing out blindly and by some miracle managing to drive my elbow into his stomach, effectively winding and weakening him for a few seconds. But those few seconds were more than I could've ever wished for, because they gave me time to dig my hand into the pocket of my jeans before I threw myself into Renami's arms and hugged her as tight as I could without hurting her, clutching her close to me for the final time.

The force of my momentum made Renami stagger back a few steps, winded, her arms instinctively swinging around and clutching onto me to stop herself from falling.

"I'm sorry," I whispered hurriedly into her ear, "Promise me you won't blame yourself for this."

Hug me back properly, Renami. Please, I'm begging you, just come back to me now, even if it's only for a second, I need you, I can't go without knowing that you're still here…

Her arms tightened marginally around my smaller frame, and that was all the confirmation I needed. My hands fumbled for a split-second at the back of her neck until there was a small _click_ sound. I smiled sadly into her long hair. There was so much I wanted to say to her but would never be able to.

"Goodbye, Renami Safiya." I murmured simply, and no sooner had the words left my mouth when an explosion of intense burning pain suddenly ripped through my shoulders as I was forcibly torn away from her and straight into Scott's non-too-gentle grip, his knife pressed uncomfortably hard against the soft skin of my cheek, a thin line of blood immediately surfacing and dribbling down my face for freedom.

"I think you've officially outlived your purpose." Scott snarled, yanking me back with him as he stormed purposefully back across the room for the door. The last thing I saw before he pulled me around the corner was Renami's previously dead eyes come surging back to life, and the tiny sparkling gem now resting against her chest glinting a million colours in the light above her head as she began to dart forwards, fully intending to chase after me and my master.

"MAXIE!!!" She screamed, the sound echoing mercilessly down the corridor, but Alex must've caught hold of her because she didn't follow. That didn't matter though. All that mattered now was the fact the Renami was well and truly back in the land of the living with a new vengeance.

With a small triumphant smile, I shut my eyes and let Scott drag me to Hell.

* * *

Renami's POV:

I felt numb. Sight, smell, sound, touch… They were all non-existent right now. It was like I was floating somewhere between dream and reality, although it was more of a nightmare than dream, considering exactly what it was that'd made me like this. I didn't want to think about it. It… _hurt_… too much… I wanted to forget it all, everything and everyone, and wherever I was now, I'd finally found my escape inside my own head where no one else could find me. Or hurt me.

I'd been like this since last night. A defence mechanism, I guess. My body's unique little way of keeping me with it by taking me out of it, if you get my meaning. And I fully intended to stay this way for as long as I possibly could, since yesterday had almost ended me right there and then, and I'd only just managed to keep holding on by something short of a miracle.

Oh God, they…

_Go on. Say it._

They… _raped_ me…. Both of them, one after the other. So different, gentle then brutal, loving then malicious, pleasure then pain… They used completely different methods, but the result ended up the same. Both got their satisfaction from me, fucked and abused me, drove me within an inch of my sanity… and now look at me. Hiding inside myself to keep the pain away so I never have to go through the same thing ever again. A coward's way out? Probably, but right now, pride was the last thing on my mind.

"Renami, please… Just look at me, or say something… please, I'm begging you… Don't give up… Don't let them win…"

I didn't react to the sound of that familiar voice. Poor sweet little Maxie, I'm so sorry. I've let him down, I know I have, but I couldn't bring myself to answer him, even if I wanted to. I'd retreated so far into myself that I didn't even know how far away the surface was anymore.

_Fucking weak. Fucking useless. Not worth fighting for…_

Warm trembling fingers touched my face gently and I mentally shied away from the contact, although physically I knew I hadn't so much as twitched.

"_Look _at me" Maxie begged, his voice distant and echoing. "Just… _look at me_."

The pure amount of his desperation washed over me like a wave, and before I could stop myself, my eyes cleared and his beautiful youthful face suddenly appeared inches away from my own. He looked so tired and pained, his features sunken with stress as he pinned me in his pleading gaze and downright refused to let me go. But after a couple of seconds I managed to shrink away again, withdrawing back to my sanctuary.

"Come on, Renami, you've got to keep fighting! You made me a promise, remember? You said you'd get us out of here whatever it took, and all it takes now is for you to be strong again! Be strong for me… I need you. I can't do this alone." Maxie said, trying to pull me back to reality. I didn't want him to. Reality hurt. This… whatever this was… this didn't cause me any pain. I was safe here, I didn't want to go back.

"Too…tired…" I forced the words out as hard as I could, but I could barely hear them myself as they left my lips. " So… sorry…"

"Maxie? How is she?"

I recognised that baritone immediately and completely shut down twice as fast until absolute nothingness remained, and I couldn't hear a single thing of the outside world. To keep me inside, I imagined myself sitting alone in the middle of a dark room with no windows or doors. It was weirdly comforting in a way, the silence a beautiful relief for me to just think to myself for a while.

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around my waist in a way that was both loose and firm, and I flinched violently in shock but they held me tight in their warm embrace. With one hand, I reached down and touched pale alabaster skin, the sweet scent of cinnamon filling my nose as silky chestnut-brown locks of hair brushed against the side of my face.

_"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll keep you safe, Renami, you know I will."_

I didn't respond because I knew I didn't have to, and instead let myself relax into the comfortable protective hold. A tiny voice in the back of my mind kept saying how this wasn't real, but I fought it back and just lost myself to the illusion that felt so unbelievably right…

Real hands caressed my face before pulling me up to my feet. In my dream world, nothing changed, so I just focused on the steady heartbeat pulsing in time with mine. It was so easy ignoring everything else on the outside.

_'They're watching this right now, my pretty. You've just shown them how much of a pathetic worthless whore you really are. Why should they save someone like you? And even if by some miracle they did manage to save you, how would they be able to look you in the eye after this. Just stop resisting, Renami. There's nothing you can do...'_

I shuddered violently, hearing that horrible vindictive voice that definitely wasn't part of my perfect illusion. Scott's evil tones echoed through my head again and I shut my eyes tightly, burying my head in my hands with a low whimper, trying to clear my head and forget it all, trying to escape reality again.

Those wonderful arms wrapped around me even more securely, turning me around to face him, one hand coming up to cradle the back of my head as he held me close to his firm chest, my face pressed against the crook of his neck. His scent was even more overpowering now and I breathed in through my nose greedily. It helped, it really did. Just the smell of him alone was enough to keep my grounded.

_"Don't listen to him."_ He murmured, his lips brushing against my ear tenderly. "_Don't listen to that sadistic bastard. You're not a whore, you hear me? You're not just some nameless whore. You're Renami Safiya, and you're going to get through this. We're still looking for you... Me, Yugi, Joey and all the others. We're not going to stop until we find you. I won't stop until we find you, ok? I swear to God I won't stop."_

Lifting my head from his neck, I stared desperately up into his deep cerulean eyes that were usually so cold and hard but were now the complete opposite, shimmering in the bright light like sapphires. He smiled down at me with that mouth that was so unused to smiling and a flare of heat spread through my chest as I let myself smile back.

An unexpected burst of chilling maniacal laughter tore through the air, making my blood turn to ice in my veins. I knew that laugh. Oh God, I knew it only too damn well. Scott.

Sharp pain ripped through my jaw and my head was jerked upwards brutally.

"This is so perfect... If I'd known that I only had to fuck you to finally shut you up, I would've done it when I first met you in that alley with Blondie! Would've saved me a lot of time and effort. But then again, I don't –"

_"Ignore it."_ My hallucination urged. _"Ignore him. Focus on me and ignore that son of a bitch."_

"– but if it's any consolation, you were the best damn lay I've ever had. Well... _so far,_ anyway."

I nodded in determination and gradually let myself relax even further against him, sinking even deeper inside myself... Scott's voice got quieter and quieter until it vanished altogether. I couldn't even feel his hand gripping my chin anymore. I couldn't feel anything anymore, not even the safe embrace of my illusion, but that didn't matter now, because –

Suddenly everything came rushing back so hard and painfully that it felt like I'd been hit by a fucking truck. I physically staggered, all the air completely knocked out of my lungs from the force of whatever the Hell had just happened. I could see again, see the bedroom and Alex and Scott... and Maxie, who was hugging me like he never wanted to let go.

"I'm sorry," He murmured so quietly that I could barely hear him. "Promise me you won't blame yourself for this."

His hands touched the back of my neck and I heard a small click. I started to hug him back, opening my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for me. By the time I'd moved to return his embrace, he was already pulling away.

"Goodbye, Renami Safiya." Maxie said, his beautiful caramel eyes full of so much pain and fear.

And then he was gone, roughly yanked away from me by Scott, who then started dragging the younger boy towards the bedroom door. Maxie didn't even struggle, not even as the green-eyed demon pressed his favourite knife to his cheek and made him bleed.

"I think you've officially outlived your purpose." Scott hissed furiously as he forced Maxie through the door and around the corner, heading straight down the corridor for Scott's room at the top of the stairs. As soon as those words left his lips, it was like a chain reaction going off inside my brain, connecting everything back together abruptly, surging adrenaline through my aching limbs. Everything was so much clearer now I had a purpose anchoring me down in reality.

"MAXIE!!" I screamed as I started to sprint after them, but two impossibly strong hands seized hold of my wrists and stopped me dead in my tracks, refusing to let go no matter how hard I struggled against him.

"Alex!" I cried out, wrenching my arms as hard as I could, burning away a layer of skin from the friction. Alex wasn't even looking at me as he kept me locked in his grasp, but then he shifted his gaze from the door through which Scott and Maxie had just left and stared straight at me instead, his eyes surveying me steadily.

"Alex, let me go! You've got to let me go! Please, Alex, I'm begging you! Let me go!"

"No." He replied sadly, shaking his head slightly, "I can't. I _won't_. There's nothing we can do, so what's the point?"

I froze for a second, gaping up at him in horror. There was... something wrong with him. I could tell just by looking at his face. He looked... _ill_. And his eyes, oh God, they were so hollow and just downright inhuman, nothing but dark murky pits of absolute emptiness. Alex Valen looked like a dead man right now, and for some reason that scared me even more than when he was carving my back open with that jagged piece of glass last week.

From down the hall, there was a sudden thumping sound, a cry of pain and then the slamming of a door. I lurched back into action, picking up where I left off in writhing and thrashing against his painfully tight grip, clawing shallow cuts all over his hands and arms in my desperation to get free and chase after Maxie.

"Don't you understand? He's going to hurt Maxie! Can't you _see_ that? _Let go of me!!_ I've got to help him, Alex! I won't let that bastard cause him any more pain than he already has!!" I practically screamed at him, my fingernails torn and stained with blood that was both mine and his. Alex shook his head again, totally ignoring the thin rivulets of coppery liquid that were staining his skin crimson.

"Scott won't hurt him." He murmured hoarsely, but I didn't miss the flicker of uncertainty that swirled in his eyes.

"Won't he? How do you know? _Won't he?_" I pressed desperately, pleading with him with every single fibre of my being. I was willing to do or say absolutely _anything _to make him release me before it was too late. "Please, let me go. Let me help Maxie. I made him a promise, and I intend to keep it. I won't let him get hurt. Please, Alex, just… _please_."

Alex clenched his fists around my wrists until his knuckles turned pearly white and tore his gaze from mine, instead glaring down at the floor heatedly. He wasn't going to let me go. I could see it in those empty twin pools of green. Maxie was going to _die_ in there, and there was nothing I could do about it, thanks to this controlling possessive bastard scared to let me out of his grip for a single moment, not even to save a life.

Helpless tears began to well up in my eyes, dripping slowly through my lashes.

"Please…" I begged for the last time. Alex looked up at me again, just in time to watch the tears start rolling down my cheeks, "Please…"

I bowed my head so my long hair hid my face from him and I wept silently, my shoulders shaking with my sobs, still trying to tug myself away from him. My wrists were chafed and my hands had turned an angry purple colour from how tight he was holding me, but I still didn't stop. Nothing on earth could've stopped me from struggling right then, not when it was for someone as important to me as Maxie, despite how short we'd known each other. We were bonded by trauma, and I'd be damned before I'd let Scott take anything else away from me. That son of a bitch had already assaulted three of my friends, threatened everyone I hold dear to me, stole what little dignity I had and possibly all the respect my friends had for me in the same moment, raping me and filming it for them to watch. He wasn't going to take Maxie.

For a few agonising seconds, nothing changed, and I honestly thought that I'd have to try something more drastic to get free, maybe make another bargain with him, but then suddenly my hands were released and I staggered back from him, almost falling over from the sheer unexpectedness of being let go.

"Thank you." I whispered, my voice hitching halfway through as I tried to control my tears, and Alex gave me a single sharp nod, essentially giving me the permission I so desperately wanted. Without another second's hesitation, I set off in a sprint that made all my aching muscles scream in protest, but I easily blocked out the pain as I ran through the doorway, charging full-pelt towards that ominous door waiting for me at the top of the stairs.

Familiar footsteps were hot on my heels, and I knew that Alex wasn't far behind me. Whether he was following me because he genuinely wanted to help me save Maxie or because he just wanted to make sure I didn't use this as an opportunity to make a break for it, I didn't know. To be honest, I didn't really give a damn at that point, because all I could concentrate on was a horrible sensation of dread twisting my insides in a grip of steel, blocking out everything else. All I cared about was getting to Maxie as quickly as possible, and intervening before Scott could hurt him badly enough to kill him. I'd made him a promise. If I let him down now when he needed me the most, I don't know what I'd do, but I knew for a fact that I'd never forgive myself.

Not caring about my wounds, I threw the whole weight of my body behind my uninjured shoulder and the door flung wide open, the hinges splintering from the force of my determination to get into the room. I stumbled inside, followed closely by Alex, and we both skidded to an abrupt halt at the scene before us.

Scott and Maxie were standing in the centre of the room, facing each other. Scott had one hand gripping onto Maxie's wrist and his other hand hovering almost carelessly in front of the younger teenager's throat. He was glaring harshly downwards at his pet, his emerald eyes completely devoid of their usual sadistic elation, and Maxie was staring up at him, his twin pools of honey brown almost double their normal size in pure fear, his mouth open as though he were about to scream for help. And for the briefest moment, a flicker of relief spread through my chest. Maxie was still alive! It wasn't too late; I'd made it just in time! We were –

That thought was interrupted right there before it could even finish forming in my mind as Scott's head turned towards us, his lips starting to quirk upwards into a slow smirk, destroying whatever hope I had with just a single self-satisfied look. He winked at me, and then he let go.

For a split second, nothing changed. But then time seemed to grind to a juddering halt as Maxie fell away from Scott like a discarded coat, his face still frozen in that same horrified expression as his body arced gracefully backwards for what felt like a lifetime before he landed with a dull thud onto the carpet at Scott's feet, the hilt of the green-eyed bastard's knife sticking out from beneath Maxie's chin.

Numbly, I couldn't do anything but stare in disbelief at the figure of my fallen friend, my brain just completely refusing to accept what I was seeing until the full horrific reality of what'd just happened seeped sluggishly into my mind and brought me surging back into action.

"_Maxie!_" I screeched, the noise almost tearing my vocal chords apart as it was ripped from my throat, darting to his side faster than I'd ever moved in my life. I threw myself to my knees, reaching for him but not daring to touch him in case I hurt him even more. At that moment, I wouldn't let myself consider the fact that his wound was so obviously fatal, because I was so determined to fulfil my promise and protect him that I refused to believe that he was beyond saving.

Maxie was still breathing, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he sucked shallow wet-sounding breaths into his lungs. He stared upwards with wide unseeing toffee coloured orbs, his eyelids fluttering wildly as his trembling hands found the knife hilt and tried vainly to pull the blade free from his gullet, his fingers slippery with blood.

"No… Maxie, don't do that… just lie still…" I begged hurriedly, leaning over him to smooth a lock of sweat-slicked hair back from his face as I tried with my other hand to gently remove his bloodied fingers from his grip on the knife. The younger boy's eyes flickered to me and sparked with recognition, but he still didn't stop struggling in his attempt to remove the blade. "It's ok, everything's going to be ok… I'm here, honey, I've got you…"

"Ruh…" He gurgled through a mouthful of blood, a line of the liquid escaping from the corner of his mouth and travelling to join the steady stream of scarlet already marring the skin of his neck. "Ruh… nah… me…"

"Shh, don't try to talk, just…" I swallowed thickly, trying furiously to fight back the tears that were brimming in my eyes, threatening to fall. "… just stay still, you're going to be fine…"

Maxie chuckled humourlessly, his hands dark with his own blood. I was clutching him now, holding onto him for dear life, not caring that my skin and clothes were being smeared with crimson liquid that wasn't mine. His eyes weren't fearful anymore and he looked almost peaceful as he kept fumbling for a secure grip on the hilt, gracing me with a smile that held no blame.

"Ruh… nah… me…" The sweet innocent boy whispered one last time, finally managing to seize hold of the weapon and yank it out of his throat before I could even think about stopping him. The sound it made, that hideous wet sound of metal against flesh and cartilage, oh God, it would haunt me for the rest of eternity.

As soon as the knife was pulled free, a rush of scarlet flooded from the wound like a dam had been broken, and everything close by was splattered with dark coppery drops, including my horror-struck face hovering inches from his own as I screamed his name, supporting the back of his head with one hand as the other tried desperately to stem the bleeding, but to no avail.

"Maxie! _No!_ You can't go like this! I won't let you go like this! _Maxie!_"

His heaving chest stilled as his features relaxed, his rich hazel eyes staring unseeingly up me, dulled and glassy.

"_NO!_ Maxie! _Maxie!!_"

I pressed my forehead to his and howled pitifully, clutching his lifeless body to my chest, the tears streaming down my face and splashing down onto his pale skin. I hugged him like I never wanted to let go, weeping into his hair with loud broken sobs, repeating his name over and over again like a prayer. I've never witnessed death before right in front of me, never held someone in my arms as they died... It was horrible, so horrible that it was beyond unbearable, and combined with the guilt I felt right then... I couldn't feel anything else but grief and loss.

I'd been so caught up in the moment that I'd forgotten we weren't alone in the room, but I quickly remembered when a familiar deep voice cackled lowly from behind me.

"Oops," Scott chuckled, stepping closer to me and Maxie, so close that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "I think my hand slipped."

Despair and anguish were instantly replaced with the most intense burning anger and hatred I've ever felt in my entire life, my knuckles tightening on the bloodied knife that had slipped from Maxie's limp fingers and into my own hand.

"MURDERER!!" I roared, my voice sounding inhuman even to my own ears. "YOU KILLED HIM!! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!!"

Scott staggered backwards in shock as I leapt to my feet and swung my arm in a vicious arc downwards, cutting deep into his arm, taking vindictive pleasure at the sight of the torrent of crimson that followed, and his agonised roar of pain as he stumbled and fell backwards.

Alex shouted something incomprehensive and surged forwards to grab me, but I ducked under his arm and ran as fast as I could, sprinting back down the corridor and into my bedroom before he could right himself and chase after me.

I burst through the door to my ensuite bathroom and, clutching my cure, I tightly locked the door behind me, knowing it was only a matter of moments until he came rushing in here after me. Sure enough, I could hear his heavy footsteps getting closer as he pounded down the corridor himself, but I mentally blocked out the noise and turned to face myself in the mirror.

I wasted precious seconds staring at my reflection, shocked to the core at how different I looked. My skin, deathly pale and abused, cuts and bruises littering the majority of my body. I had always been slim before, but now I was so sickly thin, I made anorexic people look healthy. My clothes practically hung in drapes from my small frame, clothes that once fit like a glove, but not anymore. I could see the line of every bone jutting through my papery-thin flesh. And my eyes were almost alien to me. I didn't recognise them at all. They were so… dead. Flickering with so much pain and suffering it made me feel physically sick just staring into them. Those eyes weren't mine. This wasn't the real me.

Fists began to pound on the door, rattling it hard against the frame. I jumped violently, but once again tried to block it out.

"Renami!! Open this door right now!!" Alex bellowed. My hand tightened around the knife I held, my fist whitening with the strain as the doorframe wheezed and creaked, threatening to fold any minute.

I couldn't take this anymore. I've been through so much shit these last few years, and each bad experience just chipped away another piece of my heart, another layer of my shield, but I'd always pulled through. I'd always bounced back after everything, driven on by the things I held dear to me, the people who believed in me and loved me for me. I don't even know if they do believe in me or love me anymore, not after that video they saw. Even if, by some miracle, I managed to get out of this living Hell, would they ever look at me in the same way again? Would they be disgusted by me? Would they... _hate_ me? I couldn't bear that. If that happened, then I'd truly lost everything worth living for.

"_RENAMI!!_ OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR OR I'LL BREAK IT DOWN!!"

A small tired smile grew on my lips, remembering something Maxie said to me when I'd met him face to face for the first time.

_"Let's face it, the only way either of us is getting out of here is in a body bag."_

Maybe he was right. That's how he'd escaped.

My mind made up for the final time, I extended one arm forwards and found the soft caramel skin of my wrist.

Several flashes of silver.

A gush of the darkest, deepest red.

I sunk to the floor as my vision turned black.

* * *

**Im sorry, please dont hurt me... :(**


End file.
